W-\W 



mi 

■ 




I : ill 

■Hi 

1 ^M 

■ I 



Ml! 




Class Jg&Z 
BookVS ^ 



PRESENTED HY 



THE RELATIONS OF 

SHIRLEY'S PLAYS TO THE 

ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 



BY 

ROBERT STANLEY FORSYTHE 



Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements 

for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the 

Faculty of Philosophy, Columbia University 



COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS 
1914 



COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDIES IN ENGLISH 
AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE 



fiM- 






THE RELATIONS OF SHIRLEY'S PLAYS 
TO THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 



COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS 
SALES AGENTS 

New Yobk: 
LEMCKE & BUECHNER 
30-32 West 27th Street 

London: 

HUMPHREY MILFORD 

Amen Corner, E.C. 

Toronto : 
HUMPHREY MILFORD 
25 Richmond Street, W. 



THE RELATIONS OF 

SHIRLEY'S PLAYS TO THE 

ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 



BY 

ROBERT STANLEY FORSYTHE 



Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements 

for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the 

Faculty of Philosophy, Columbia University 



N*m fork 

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS 

1914 






Copyright, 1914 
By Columbia Univebsity Press 



Printed from type, October, 1914 



VAIL-BALLOU COMPANY 
• INOHAMTON AND NEW YORK 



f- ■, 

% 

R 



This Monograph has been approved by the Depart- 
ment of English and Comparative Literature in Colum- 
bia University as a contribution to knowledge worthy 
of publication. 

A. H. THORNDIKE, 

Executive Officer. 



TO 
MY MOTHER 

AND TO 
THE MEMORY 

OF 
MY FATHER 



PREFACE 

The treatment of Shirley's dramas with regard to their 
sources — chiefly those in the works of the Elizabethan 
dramatists — is the task which I have attempted to accom- 
plish in The Relations of Shirley 's Plays to the Elizabethan 
Drama. I have dealt with the sources of Shirley's plays 
in a manner radically differing from that of other similar 
pieces of research in modern English literature. The in- 
fluence of the component parts of a literary form upon a 
modern writer has never before received anything like ade- 
quate consideration. I have aimed in the following pages 
to show that Shirley's true sources were, in perhaps the 
majority of cases, not single plays, incidents, or characters, 
but the aggregate, the sum total, of the similar plays, inci- 
dents, or characters, of earlier and contemporary play- 
wrights. In other words, I have emphasized particularly 
the influence upon the plays of Shirley of the stock or 
conventional elements in Elizabethan dramatic literature. 
By reason of his chronological position and his unquestion- 
able habit of studying the works of the other Elizabethans, 
Shirley is one of the best possible subjects for such an es- 
say in historical dramatic criticism, but the method may be 
applied, I believe, with at least some degree of success to 
the works of many other modern authors. 

Aside from whatever light this book may throw upon the 
sources of Shirley's plays, it may be used to fill, partially, 
at least, another need. The lists of stock incidents, situa- 
tions, devices, and characters in Chap. IV (as well as those 
elsewhere) represent the first attempt at classifying and 



X PREFACE 

grouping the various conventionalized elements of the 
Elizabethan drama. Although they have been collected 
solely because of their relationship to, and possible in- 
fluence upon, Shirley's plays, the lists may be used as 
indexes to the occurrence of such elements. These lists 
are not complete. I have had access to not more than 
five hundred and twenty Elizabethan plays, in the first 
place; secondly, I have curtailed certain lists because of 
the more or less obvious nature of the devices therein 
grouped; and lastly, through oversight some instances of 
the occurrence of elements perhaps have been omitted. I 
have read for the purposes of this study only the more 
important of the plays written before 1580, as the influ- 
ence of the earliest Elizabethan plays upon the latest, such 
as those of Shirley, is practically negligible. The masque, 
being as it is, an illegitimate dramatic type, has received 
but little attention in the present book, since I have en- 
deavored to confine myself primarily to the treatment of 
the drama proper. 

It seems advisable to point out that the present book 
infringes only very slightly upon the territory of Professor 
A. H. Nason's excellent study, James Shirley, Dramatist. 
Professor Nason's book of which the first chapters give the 
fullest and most careful account of Shirley's life now in 
existence is devoted chiefly to the aesthetic criticism of the 
plays, and to the development of Shirley's art as therein 
displayed. I have, on the other hand, passed over Shir- 
ley's life, almost altogether and have occupied myself al- 
most exclusively with the discussion of his sources. The 
two books are to a considerable degree supplementary, each 
to the other. 

Much of the content of my study would, I believe, be of 
value in the preparation of a new edition of Shirley 's plays. 
A.s it stands, the greater part of the last six chapters of 



PREFACE XI 

my dissertation is, as a result of the extreme condensation 
necessary, practically in the form of notes upon passages 
in the various plays. It is my hope in the future to pre- 
pare, or to have a hand in preparing, an edition of Shirley 's 
dramatic works which will be more accurate and more 
scholarly than that of Grfford and Dyce. 

I have based my study upon the Gifford-Dyce edition. 
The early quartos and duodecimos of Shirley's plays are 
generally so scarce as to preclude their use by many schol- 
ars ; and as my treatment of the plays has had to do chiefly 
with the action and but little with the text itself, I have 
thought it best to use and to refer to the more accessible 
(though unsatisfactory) collected edition. I wish to call 
attention to the fact that in my citations of acts and scenes 
I have referred to the numbers at their beginnings, and 
not to those at the tops of the respective pages which are 
often incorrect. 

To Professor A. H. Thorndike of Columbia University, 
under whose supervision this book was prepared as a dis- 
sertation for the doctor's degree in Columbia University, 
I am most deeply indebted. Professor Thorndike has en- 
couraged me in every way during the progress of my study, 
and has assisted me, not only in the general plan and ar- 
rangement of my book, but with many valuable suggestions 
as to the content. He has been so kind, also, as to read 
and criticize the manuscript of the book, and to read the 
proofs. 

I am indebted to Professors Matthews and Wright of 
Columbia University, who have read my manuscript, for 
many valuable suggestions as to form and material. 
Professor A. H. Nason of New York University has been 
so kind as to allow me to read the proofs of James Shirley, 
Dramatist, and to refer to his book wherever necessary. 
I wish to express my appreciation of the constant courtesy 



Xll PREFACE 

and cooperation of the officials of the Columbia University 
Library, particularly of those of the loan department. To 
the Library of the University of Pennsylvania, I am in- 
debted for the use of the Duke of Newcastle's plays, and 
to the Library of Yale University and the New York Pub- 
lic Library for the use of certain books. 

R. S. F. 
September, 1914. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB PAGE 

I The English Stage, 1620-42 

A. The Acted and Printed Plays. B. The Dra- 
matists. C. The Theaters and Companies. 
D. The Audience 1-23 

II Biography; Stage History; Chronology . 24-47 

III The General Characteristics op Shirley's 

Plays 48-63 

IV The Stock Incidents, Characters, etc., of 

Shirley's Plays 64-115 

V Love Tricks and the Maid's Revenge . . . 116-149 

VI The Tragedies 

I. St. Albans. II. The Traitor. III. Love's 

Cruelty. IV. The Politician. V. The Cardinal 150-189 

VII The Tragicomedies 

I. The Young Admiral. II. The Duke's Mistress. 
III. The Royal Master. IV. The Doubtful Heir. 
V. St. Patrick for Ireland. VI. The Gentle- 
man of Venice. VII. The Imposture. VIII. 
The Court Secret 190-254 

VIII The Romantic Comedies 

I. The Brothers. II. The Grateful Servant. 
III. The Arcadia. IV. The Humorous Cour- 
tier. V. The Bird in a Cage. VI. The Oppor- 
tunity. VII. The Coronation. VIII. The Sis- 
ters 255-321 

xiii 



XIV CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB PAGE 

IX The Realistic Comedies 

I. The Wedding. II. The Witty Fair One. 

III. Love in a Maze. IV. Hyde Park. V. The 
Gamester. VI. The Example. VII. The Lady 3 7 
of Pleasure. VIII. Look to the Lady. IX. The 
Constant Maid 322-390 

X Entertainments, etc., Collaborated and 
Doubtful Plays 

a. entertainments, etc. 

I. A Contention for Honor and Riches. II. Hon- 
oria and Mammon. III. The Triumph of Peace. 

IV. The Triumph of Beauty. V. The Conten- 
tion of Ajax and Ulysses for the Armor of 
Achilles 391-103 

B. COLLABORATED AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 

I. Dick of Devonshire. II. The Ball. III. The 
Nightwalker. IV^ Chabot. V. Captain Under- 
wit. VI, VII. The Variety, The Humorous 
Lovers. VIII. Double Falsehood .... 403-433 

Bibliography 

A. Biographical, Critical, and Non-Dramatic Illus- 
trated Material. B. Dramatic Texts . . . 131 117 



Index 



A. General. B. Plays and Masques . . 449—483 



SHIRLEY'S PLAYS AND THE 
ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 

CHAPTER I 

THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 

Preliminary to the detailed discussion of Shirley's plays 
which takes up the greater part of this book, it is perhaps 
advisable to point out the ways in which the later Eliza- 
bethans gained a knowledge of the plays of their prede- 
cessors and contemporaries, to describe very briefly the 
dramatic situation about the year 1625, and to sum up 
concisely the works of Shirley's immediate contemporaries. 
A few words concerning the theaters and their frequenters 
seem also not out of place. 

A. The Acted and Printed Plays 

Since the greater part of the subsequent discussion of 
Shirley's plays is devoted to a consideration of their sources 
and analogues, a little space may be profitably devoted to the 
ways in which the dramatic writers of that period grew 
familiar with the plays of their predecessors and contem- 
poraries. First, undoubtedly they witnessed the presen- 
tation of many plays. In those days, although every year 
saw the production of a number of new plays, yet many 
old plays either held the stage, or were revived, with or 
without alterations. For instance, between 1618 and 1625, 
Twelfth Night and The Winter's Tale were played twice 
each at court and Henry IV, Part I, The Alchemist, Vol- 
pone, Greene's Tu Quoque, and Cupid's Revenge, once each 
(Fleay, Stage, pp. 257-58). After 1625 these old plays 

l 



2 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

were acted at court: Richard III, The Taming of the 
Shrew, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, Julius Caesar 
(Shakespeare's or May's?), The Woman's Prize, The Loyal 
Subject, The Faithful Shepherdess, The Knight of the 
Burning Pestle, The Elder Brother, The Bloody Brother, 
Cupid's Revenge, A Wife for a Month, Wit without 
Money, Philaster, The Scornful Lady, Epicoene, Bussy 
D'Ambois, Hymen's Holiday, The Jew of Malta (Fleay, 
Stage, pp. 315 ff., 424). From this list (a very incom- 
plete one certainly) we may judge reasonably of the size of 
the repertory of the Elizabethan theatrical company and 
be justified in concluding from this and from other evi- 
dence that many plays were acted over, year after year. 1 

Then, too, the printed play is important. Not only had 
the plays of Ben Jonson and of Shakespeare appeared in 
folio, the one in 1616, the other in 1623, but many of them 
existed in quarto editions. Many of the plays of other 
dramatists were extant in the latter form. In the Epistle 
Dedicatory to Histriomastix in 1633, Prynne says there 
were "above forty thousand play books printed within 
these two years," and quotes the stationers as authority. 
Of course, what is meant is that forty thousand copies were 
printed, perhaps fifteen hundred or two thousand to an 
edition, so that in reality we have about ten or twelve 
plays printed for each of Prynne 's two years. But at any 
rate, whatever the number is, we must reckon with the 
printed playbook in considering the literary relations of 
the later Elizabethan dramatists with one another and with 
their predecessors. 

In the case of the unpublished plays, playwrights had ac- 
cess to MS. copies in the possession either of the players or 
of other persons. Then furthermore, it is probable that 

1 See, for instance, the records of court performances in Murray, 
Eng. Dram. Cos., I (particularly of the King's Men, 173 ff. ). 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 3 

writers, critics (or "wits"), and managers discussed among 
themselves the drama of the past, and thereby circulated a 
knowledge of particular incidents and characters, which 
might have been utilized in the plays of their own day. 

Certainly there were comparatively few, if any, plays 
acted after the real beginning of the Elizabethan drama 
which Ford or Shirley, for example, could not have gained 
a knowledge of, either from their presentation, their pub- 
lished or MS. form, or from oral accounts. 

B. The Dramatists 

At the beginning of the year 1625 (as well as for years 
after) John Fletcher was undoubtedly the most influential 
figure among English dramatic writers. His importance 
is attested to not only by the most flattering notices, con- 
temporary and posthumous, but by the unmistakable traces 
of a greater or less degree of conscious imitation of his 
methods in the plays of nearly every dramatist of the time. 
Fletcher's prolificity and the fact that so many of his 
plays are extant combine further to show his popularity 
and, consequently, his influence. Of some ninety-seven 
plays, extant and non-extant, produced between 1620 and 
1625, twenty-three are Fletcher's, either solely or in part. 2 
Some of these were, no doubt, reworkings of old plays, a 
fact which does not lessen the importance of the poet's 
productivity in estimating his influence. If we add to 
them the contribution of Massinger amounting to eight 
plays (besides eleven with Fletcher which are included in 
his twenty-three) and that of Middleton and his collabora- 
tors — six plays — we have a total of thirty-seven plays in 
five years, all written plainly more or less under the domi- 
nant dramatic influence of the day. The fact that between 
1621 and 1624 nine of Fletcher's plays were presented at 

2 From Schelling's play-list, Eliz. Dram., II, 538 ff. 



4 SHIRLEY S PLAYS AND THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 

court, one of them three times and two twice each, further 
emphasizes his position as the chief dramatist of England 
during the last years of his life. 

The fifty-odd plays in which Fletcher had a hand fall 
into the classes of tragedy, tragicomedy, and comedy of 
manners or, better, of intrigue. Each of these has certain 
characteristics which differentiate it from the correspond- 
ing types of an earlier date. For instance, The Maid's 
Tragedy is essentially different from King Lear, Philaster 
from The Malcontent, or Measure for Measure, and The 
Wild Goose Chase from Twelfth Night. 

The tragedies and tragicomedies of Fletcher and his col- 
laborators differ mainly in the happy ending, and in the 
preponderance of surprises in the tragicomedies, due often 
to the element of diverted tragedy. "Their main plots, 
largely invented, are ingenious and complicated. They 
deal with royal or noble persons, with heroic actions, and 
are placed in foreign localities. The conquests, usurpa- 
tions and passions that ruin kingdoms are their themes. 
. . . Usually contrasting a story of gross sensual passion 
with one of idyllic love, they introduce a great variety of 
incidents, and aim at constant but varied excitement. . . . 
The tragic, idyllic, and sensational material is skilfully 
constructed into a number of theatrically telling situations, 
which lead by a series of surprises to very effective cli- 
maxes or catastrophes. All signs of the epic methods of 
construction found in the early drama have disappeared; 
there is usually a chance until the last moment for either 
a happy or an unhappy ending, and in every case the 
denouement or catastrophe is elaborately prepared for and 
complicated. The dramatis persona? belong to impossible 
and romantic situations rather than to life, and are usually 
of certain types. 3 . . . The plays depend for interest not 

3 The sentimental or violent hero, the faithful friend or blunt 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 5 

on their observation or revelation of human nature, or the 
development of character, but on the variety of situations, 
the clever construction of which holds the interest through 
one suspense to another up to the unravelling at the very 
end, and on the naturalness, felicity and vigor of the 
poetry" (Thorndike, The Maid's Tragedy and Philaster, 
Belles Lettres Series, Introduction, pp. xix-xx). The 
speech is hardly ever bombastic; often it approaches the 
language of every day life in diction and general style. 

The comedies, which are likewise laid frequently in un- 
familiar countries, have generally at least a touch of ro- 
manticism about them. They are lively and vivacious, and 
thus make up in wit and cleverness for what they want in 
decency. Unmorality, rather than immorality, is present. 
Usually two contrasting plots are found, one more or less 
sentimental, the other frankly comic. The clever scamp 
and the witty young lady are often characters. 

Although Massinger's work before 1625 had been prin- 
cipally in collaboration with Fletcher, he had undoubtedly 
produced enough plays unaided to have made himself 
some reputation. He was a steady, serious workman, 
careful and painstaking. In spite of the fact that his 
share in the Fletcherian dramas seems to have made little 
difference in their tone, his unaided work reveals a strong 
moralizing tendency. His themes are often repulsive and 
horrible, but, unlike Fletcher, he seems to have discerned 
the difference between right and wrong, and to have at- 
tempted to illustrate the distinction. In setting, theme, 
incident, and characters (save in his comedies of English 
life) his plays resemble Fletcher's. Furthermore, unlike 
Fletcher, Massinger often alludes to contemporary politics 
or religion. He is capable of characterization, but his plays 
soldier, the sentimental heroine (often disguised as a page), the 
evil woman, the lustful tyrant, the poltroon (usually comic). 



6 

are heavy and move slowly. He is fond of declamation and 
soliloquizing. His heroes and heroines often are less really 
sophisticated than Fletcher's. Their innocence makes no 
such appeal to the pruriency of the audience as often Flet- 
cher's supposedly " innocent" characters do. In his two 
great realistic comedies, The City Madam and A New Way 
to Pay Old Debts, Massinger broke away from the influence 
of Fletcher and combined his own genuine earnestness and 
power with a photographic reproduction of manners like 
that of Middleton. The humoristic touch of Jonson is al- 
most altogether absent in them, although his satiric earnest- 
ness is closely imitated. For a sober presentation of Lon- 
don and provincial life without flippancy or caricature, 
they have few real rivals in Elizabethan dramatic litera- 
ture. Massinger 's low comedy is generally contemptible; 
obscenity is palmed off as humor. 

In 1625 Ben Jonson was a power more on account of 
what he had done than on account of what he was doing. 
Nine years had elapsed since the production of his last 
play. During this period he had been occupied in masque- 
making, and in general literary work, the fruits of which 
had perished with his library (in 1623). His place as a 
critic, and the recollection of his earlier comedies, and 
tragedies also, force consideration of him as an influential 
figure at this time. 

Jonson 's tragedies, however, need no particular notice 
here. The exuberant romanticism of Beaumont and 
Fletcher's tragic drama had swept away nearly all tend- 
ency toward imitating the cold correctness of Sejanus and 
Catiline. Even May and Goffe, the only dramatists of any 
repute who follow at a distance classical models, introduce 
into their fables elements of romantic horror. With Jon- 
son 's comedies, however, it is another thing. Although 
Fletcherian or Shakespearian romance creeps into a num- 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 7 

ber of the realistic comedies of the early twenties, there 
are many vestiges of Jonsonian influence. 

Not only was Jonson possessed of a powerful personality 
which might well impress the dramatists of the time, but 
his comedies have qualities which mark them for imitation. 
His striking ability to draw types embodying contemporary 
fads or vices and to unfold such characters through a suc- 
cession of incidents accounts for much of the respect in 
which his comic drama was held. His humoristic charac- 
ters are pretty frequently imitated and are often inserted 
in plays which otherwise show no Jonsonian influence. 
His careful construction and his conscious moral purpose 
(to link two not necessarily compatible characteristics) 
are factors in his influence. Jonson 's learning and his 
high opinion of the art of dramatic composition must also 
be reckoned with. Yet in spite of the personal and literary 
qualities which inspired respect and admiration in his con- 
temporaries, it is a fact that after 1620 the thoroughgoing 
and consistent imitation of Jonson by a first class play- 
wright is uncommon. His most genuine follower is Brome, 
who is by no means more than third-rate. 

The influence of the dead Shakespeare was like that 
of the living Jonson. Perhaps more of his plays than of 
Jonson 's held the stage. Nevertheless, although we often 
find characters, episodes, incidents, passages and lines ob- 
viously drawn from the plays of Shakespeare (all of which 
were in print by 1623) the fact remains that his closest 
follower in 1625 was Massinger, and in Massinger's plays 
the predominant influence was that of Fletcher. Indeed, 
if we take the plays of Fletcher as criteria of the demands 
of the playgoer of 1625 we find that Shakespearian tragedy 
and comedy do not meet those demands in such a way as 
to justify careful imitation. 

Middleton's career as a dramatist was practically ended 



8 

in 1625, but his lively comedies and his sometimes power- 
ful tragicomedies and tragedies deserve mention. His 
earlier plays are rather loose and stringy, but with time 
his technique improved until he arrived at the constructive 
excellence of the main plot of The Changeling. Middle- 
ton's early plays (even his first romantic efforts before 
1600) are gross, even frankly immoral. Their appeal was 
to the coarser side of the audience. Naturally, therefore, 
when we find him turning from satirical comedy and real- 
istic comedy of manners to romance of the Fletcherian sort 
(in which, it must be remembered, William Rowley col- 
laborated), we expect him to revel in lust and horrors, and 
we are not disappointed. The Witch, however, suggests 
Tourneur rather than Fletcher, yet its surprising ending 
seems a conscious (but inartistic) imitation of the methods 
of that author. Sentiment and idealization are absent in 
Middleton 's later plays. However, honor is a theme, courts 
are the loci of plays, and rape, incest, murder, revenge, las- 
civious sovereigns, wicked women and Machiavellian vil- 
lains of the old school all appear in the dramas of the 
Middleton and Rowley group. 

Like Jonson, Webster had practically retired from writ- 
ing for the stage, but it is not to be expected that such* 
plays as The White Devil and The Duchess of Main would 
be without their imitators in an age when the sensational 
was sought for on every hand for dramatic presentation. 
It is evident, however, that Webster recognized the too 
tangible and fundamentally physical nature of many of his 
earlier horrors, and substituted for them the sheer loath- 
someness of his Devil's Law-case, with its rivalry of mother 
and daughter and its generally repulsive atmosphere. In 
this play, too, the Fletcherian tragicomedy betrays its in- 
fluence in the various surprises and the happy ending. 
The Devil 's Law-case, however, may be considered a sort of 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 9 

experiment, since in A Cure for a Cuckold we have a sub- 
plot reminiscent of his early comedies with Dekker al- 
though joined to a Fletcherian tragicomic main plot, and 
since in Appius and Virginia, we have a tragedy which 
deals with a classical theme in a restrained and elevated 
manner. But though scattered traces of Webster's influ- 
ence are to be found here and there, his grim saturnine 
humor and slowness of movement seem to have deterred 
the dramatist of 1625 generally from any particular imi- 
tation of his plays. 

The playwrights briefly discussed in the foregoing pages, 
then, were the writers most to be reckoned with as influen- 
tial when Shirley came to London about the year 1625. 
But besides them we have a few figures who deserve men- 
tion. Among these is Chapman, whose tragedies on French 
history are recalled by the Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt 
of Fletcher and Massinger. An unacted Roman history 
play, Csesar and Pompey, and a few passages in Shirley's 
Ball are his only contributions to the drama after 1620 
(Chabot was composed earlier; see Chap. X). Dekker had 
also practically retired from the stage. Between 1620 and 
1625 he seems to have had a hand in only five plays, a 
small number for a period of five years, when one remem- 
bers that he had been concerned in sixteen plays in the 
year 1598 alone. It is worth noting that in his Match 
Me in London (perhaps a reworking in 1623 of an earlier 
play) he dips into serious romantic comedy among the 
characters in which are a lecherous king, a virtuous 
wife, and a jealous but loyal husband. Heywood, too, 
appears to have been comparatively inactive during 
the same period in spite of the vast number of plays 
he claimed to have had a finger in. Not until in the 
thirties does he seem to have attempted seriously the new 
romantic drama, and then with no particular success, in 



10 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

A Maidenhead Well Lost. There he seems unable to get 
very far away from his old methods. Davenport, who was 
concerned in some seven plays between 1620 and 1625, is 
interesting in that in two of the seven he revived the chroni- 
cle play. 

Before entering upon the discussion of Shirley 's immedi- 
ate contemporaries, we must halt a moment to consider a 
powerful foreign influence which first became evident about 
the middle of the reign of James I. Spanish literature was 
in full flower about 1620. True, Cervantes was dead, but 
he had left behind him a wonderfully rich literary legacy. 
Lope de Vega was producing with almost lightning rapidity 
play after play of remarkable quality, and certain of his 
contemporaries, notably Tirso de Molina, and Guillen de 
Castro were not unworthy rivals. Hence, it is not strange, 
if we consider the emphasis of Spanish drama upon situ- 
ation, that the popular English playwrights, either directly 
or through translations, drew upon this great store of 
material. Among the number who utilized Spanish sources 
are Beaumont and Fletcher, Massinger, Middleton and 
Rowley. 4 According to Schelling, seventeen of the fifty- 
two Fletcherian plays show traces of Spanish origin (Eliz. 
Dram., II, 215). Of these most are dated after 1618. The 
chief sources drawn on by the English writers are Don 
Quixote and the Novelas Exemplares, perhaps because they 
existed in English and French versions. Here in Spanish 
contemporary literature we find complicated, improbable 
plots, intrigues, love and honor, duels, noble heroes and 
disguised ladies, with many other of the elements charac- 
teristic of the English literature of the time. The influ- 

* Later Shirley drew upon the Spanish for six plays, according to 
Stiefel (Romanische Forschungen, V, 196, note). Boyle quotes 
Stiefel as saying that more than half of Shirley's plots are from 
the Spanish (Englische Studien, XVIII, 295). 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 11 

ence of Spain seems to have been mainly one of plot, not 
of spirit, for there seems very little effort to bring over the 
essentially Spanish elements. As Ward says, the Spanish 
drama was too national to be transplanted (Hist. Eng. 
Dram. Lit., Ill, 267-68; cf. Hume, Spanish Influence on 
English Literature, p. 265 ff.). 

The five years between 1620 and 1625 are not unlike the 
period between 1590 and 1600 in one respect. In both we 
find a new group of dramatists coming to the front in Eng- 
land, and succeeding to the places left vacant by the death 
or retirement of the playwrights of preceding years. As 
in the earlier period the places of Marlowe, Greene, Peele, 
and Kyd were filled by Jonson, Chapman, Middleton, 
Marston, Heywood, and Dekker, so in the later James 
Shirley, Ford, Brome, Glapthorne, Goffe, and May took 
the places of Fletcher, Webster, and the others who had 
practically ceased to write for the stage. As Shake- 
speare passes on from the days of Marlowe through to 
those of Fletcher, so Massinger remains active down nearly 
to the closing of the theaters. Then too Davenant and 
Carlell make their appearance as dramatists in 1626 and 
1629, respectively. 

During the years from 1625 to 1642 which were domi- 
nated by the younger dramatists and Massinger, the influ- 
ence of Fletcher was paramount, as has been noted. True 
it is that Jonson had a devoted follower in these years — 
Brome — but even he broke over into Fletcherian tragicom- 
edy as in his aptly named Lovesick Court, and into comedy 
of intrigue as in The Novella, while even in his comedies of 
London life evidences of the influence of Fletcher's comedy 
of intrigue are visible. Other writers, still less prominent, 
such as Marmion and Nabbes, followed Jonson more or 
less, while Cartwright and Mayne each tried his hand at a 
realistic comedy in Jonson 's vein. Suckling seems to have 



12 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

been — and at a distance — Shakespeare's only real imitator. 
No thorough-going and consistent Shakespearian, however, 
would have composed the tragicomic fifth act for Aglaura. 
Davenant began, it would seem, with an attempt at the 
old tragedy of blood in Albovine, in imitation perhaps of 
Webster, or Tourneur, but he soon went over to the 
Fletcherian camp, in which he remained with lapses into 
Jonsonian humoristic comedy in his Wits and News 
from Plymouth. The occasional tragedies on classical 
themes with more or less imitation of classical structure, 
such as those of May, Nabbes, and Richards, ought at 
least to be noted as indicative perhaps of a tendency 
toward classicism, or a recollection of Jonson's two trag- 
edies. 

Two points in regard to the drama of 1625-42 deserve 
mention since they throw some light upon theatrical con- 
ditions between those two years. The first is the increase 
in the number of authors of rank or birth. Among these 
dabblers in the drama are the Earl (afterwards Duke) of 
Newcastle, Sir John Suckling, Sir William Berkeley, Sir 
William Lower, Sir John Denham, Carlell, Lovelace, Hab- 
ington, Marmion, and the Killigrews. The famous preacher 
and University Orator, Cartwright, as well as the clergy- 
men Goffe, Mayne, and Meade, and the Cambridge scholar, 
Randolph, must not be forgotten in this connection. 
Among the chief professional dramatists of this period, 
however, only Massinger seems to have been of gentle birth. 
Ford and Shirley sprang from the middle classes, while 
Jonson was the stepson of an artizan, and Brome had been 
once a servant. But the emergence of the amateur, or 
professional, dramatist of birth testifies to a changed feel- 
ing towards the stage. This feeling had been changed by 
two main causes : the taking up of professional play-writing 
by men of family such as Beaumont, and Fletcher, and the 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 13 

seriousness with which the chief critical force of the time — 
Jonson — regarded his vocation. 

In the second place, the attitude of the playwright 
towards the citizen had changed by 1625. After that date 
(and indeed for years before it) we find no plays exploit- 
ing city life, such as The Four Prentices of London or The 
Shoemaker's Holiday. There is hardly a play of the type 
of Eastward Ho, after Massinger's City Madam. On the 
contrary, we find the citizen usually appearing as a butt, 
often merely an appurtenance to an unchaste wife, or a 
person to be gulled. Nowhere does he appear save in com- 
edy. In Shirley's plays, which may be taken as fairly 
indicative of the fashionable drama of the time, we find in 
eight comedies laid in London only three characters who 
have any expressed connection with city life and with busi- 
ness. Of these two are usurers, and the other (Old Barna- 
cle in The Gamester) is the mouthpiece for a satirical at- 
tack upon his class. Shirley's untitled characters belong 
to the gentry or else have no visible means of support. 
Almost invariably we find city life and the citizen satirized, 
or placed in an unfavorable light. When this is not the 
case, we have mere copies of the Jonsonian or Middletonian 
realistic comedy with their situations and characters repro- 
duced. Evidently the appeal of the dramatists was not 
to the citizen but to the gentleman and to the rabble. This 
significant change in the nature of the later Elizabethan 
drama should be noted in connection with the last section 
of this chapter. 5 

Among the immediate contemporaries of Shirley, Ford 
stands first. He is imitative in a general sense and orig- 
inal in a special sense. While carrying on the traditions 

5 For an interesting and full discussion of the attacks upon city 
manners in general, see Thompson, The Controversy between the 
Puritans and the Stage, p. 195 ff. 



14 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

of the sensational tragedy of Fletcher, he borrows too from 
the earlier tragedy of horror. He imitates Fletcher's ro- 
mantic tone. His scenes are laid in remote lands. Love 
and lust, crime and revenge are his themes. But he is not 
content with the old plots. He takes the central theme of A 
King and No King, eliminates the element of surprise which 
had made Fletcher's play a tragicomedy, embellishes it 
with the romantic lusciousness of Romeo and Juliet, and 
the result is 'Tis Pity She 's a Whore. That play evidences 
that Ford's art is entirely divorced from morality. In 
the case of The Fancies, however, he seems to have forgotten 
his art, and at the same time to have constructed a com- 
edy whose chief claim to distinction is its remarkable appeal 
to pruriency. Ford creates a problem which he studies 
and analyzes during a play, without any regard for the 
inculcation of a lesson by its solution. In his remarkable 
chronicle-history, Perkin Warbeck, the reader is as much 
in the dark at the end of the play as at the beginning as 
to whether the hero was considered an impostor by the 
poet. Finally in any consideration of Ford's dramas, his 
remarkable poetic powers must be noticed. In this respect, 
at his best he is unequalled by either Shirley or Massinger. 

Davenant, as has been said, began by heaping horror on 
horror, in the manner of the older tragedy. However, 
he soon reverted to the Fletcherian type of tragicomedy 
with its stereotyped elements of divine right, jealousy, love 
and honor, lecherous sovereigns, intriguing favorites, noble 
heroes, and devoted heroines. His audacious choice of 
subjects suggests not only a recollection of Fletcher, but 
the influences of the contemporary Ford. Quick changes 
of front, an overcrowding of incidents, rant for passion, — 
these are the chief characteristics of Davenant. 

Carlell seems to have been popular in his day. Still his 
connection with the court may have been instrumental in 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 15 

the frequent production of his plays before the King and 
Queen (see Fleay, Stage, pp. 317, 349, 424). Fletcher 
seems his master, although in The Fool Would Be a Favor- 
ite, the influence of Jonson is perceptible. His tragicome- 
dies, which are laid in the usual Never-Never Land of 
romance, were well adapted for a favorable reception in 
their day. The customary trials of lovers, love and honor 
conflicts, surprises, and disguises occur. His plays, like 
Davenant's, suffer from too great an accumulation of 
incident. His style is over-ornate, and his verse bad. 

Glapthorne's dalliance with unnatural situations, as in 
The Lady Mother, and his use of horrors and intrigue, as 
in Albertus Wallenstein, betray his affinity with Fletcher, 
and perhaps, with Ford. Some passages betray an appar- 
ent influence of Shirley. Glapthorne is more of a poet 
than Carlell, but he is addicted to verbiage and over- 
luxuriance. 

Brome has already been mentioned as a disciple of Jon- 
son's who occasionally experimented with Fletcherian tragi- 
comedy and comedy. His comedies are often amusing, but 
they have little originality. His characters are the con- 
ventional gulls, country-gentlemen, and citizens of ordi- 
nary Elizabethan realistic comedy. As a playwright, 
Brome is very skilful; as a poet he is contemptible. The 
chief intrinsic value of his comedies is because of the light 
they throw on the London of Charles I. Among the other 
minor dramatists of the last decade of the Elizabethan 
period we find, as imitators of Fletcher, although generally 
with certain experiments in Jonsonian or Middletonian 
realism or pseudo-realism: Cartwright, Thomas Killigrew, 
Henry Killigrew, Suckling (notwithstanding his regard for 
Shakespeare), Mayne, Rawlins, and Tatham. But among 
these men, Fletcher (or Shakespeare or Jonson for that 
matter) is cruelly maltreated. His pet situations, inci- 



16 SHIRLEY 's PLAYS AND THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 

dents, devices, and characters are recognizable, but they 
survive as the merest formal copies which lack almost with- 
out exception that plausibility which we generally find in 
his plays. In other words, the drama in the decade before 
the closing of the theaters had throttled itself by its own 
conventions. Only men of exceptional talent, such as Ford, 
Shirley, and Massinger were able to rise far above the 
general level of mediocre imitativeness ; of these, the first 
on account of his courageous yet perhaps misdirected striv- 
ing for originality, the last two because of their cleverness 
in the recombination of old elements. 

The revival of the pastoral under the influence of Queen 
Henrietta Maria should not be passed over in silence, espe- 
cially since Shirley has left us a dramatization of part of 
Sidney's Arcadia. About 1630, the Aminta of Tasso, the 
Pastor Fido of Guarini, and the Filli di Sciro of Bonarelli 
were translated. The Faithful Shepherdess was revived. 
Besides Shirley, Randolph, Heywood, Rutter, Cowley, 
Goffe, and Glapthorne ventured into the pastoral field, and 
they were by no means the only writers who dealt with the 
affairs of Arcadia during the reign of Charles I (Schelling, 
Eliz. Dram., II, 139 ff.). It is a matter of record (as a 
cause and effect of the popularity of the pastoral) that the 
Queen herself took part in the performance of Montague's 
Shepherd's Paradise in 1633. 

C. The Theaters and Companies 

By the year 1625 theatrical conditions had become fixed. 
Although we are unable to trace the history of the minor 
playhouses very satisfactorily, there is nothing like the 
confusion of companies and theaters of fifteen or twenty 
years earlier. Now certain companies occupied certain 
theaters exclusively. Probably few changes of house took 
place and few reorganizations. 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 17 

Between 1620 and 1625, six theaters existed in London. 
These were the Globe and the Blackfriars, at which the 
King's Men played; the Curtain used by the Prince's Men 
until 1623; the Red Bull, at which the Eevels Company 
acted in 1622 and 1623, and the Prince's Men after the 
latter date ; the Fortune used by the Palsgrave 's Men until 
its destruction by fire in 1621, and then after its being 
rebuilt in the following year until 1625; and the Cockpit, 
or Phoenix, at which the Lady Elizabeth's Men acted. All 
these theaters, with the exception of the disused Curtain, 
were occupied up to the closing of the playhouses in 1642 
(Fleay, Stage, p. 368) . In 1629 a new private house, which 
was sometimes called the Whitefriars, was opened in Salis- 
bury Court, and here the King's Revels Company played 
until 1636 (save during the occupancy of the house in 
1632-33 by the Prince's [Charles IPs] Men). Of these 
theaters the Blackfriars, the Cockpit, and the Salisbury 
Court were "private houses," and the Globe, Fortune, Red 
Bull, and the deserted Curtain were "public" theaters 
(ibid.,?. 368). 

At the death of James I, the King's Men were continued 
under that designation and under the patronage of King 
Charles. The Lady Elizabeth's Men became at the same 
time the Queen's Men. In 1632, Prince Charles was made 
the patron of the Palsgrave's Company, which acted at 
Salisbury Court (1632-33) and at the Fortune (1633-36). 
The company which opened the house in Salisbury Court 
in 1629 was taken under the King's protection as the 
King's Revels. Besides these, a company without a patron 
played now at the Red Bull and now at the Fortune 
(Fleay, Stage, pp. 312-13). Up to about 1637 the prin- 
cipal dramatic companies were the King's Men who played 
at the Blackfriars and the Globe; the Queen's Men at the 
Cockpit; and the Prince's Company. During the period 



18 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

between 1625 and 1642, the changes in company and theater 
are, as usual, obscure ; but it seems that in 1637 the best 
actors of the Queen's Men and the King's Revels Company 
joined and thenceforward played under the former title at 
Salisbury Court. A new company, called "Beeston's 
Boys," or the King's and Queen's Young Players, was 
formed in the same year and established at the Cockpit 
where they remained until the closing of the theaters. 

The common idea that there was necessarily any con- 
stant connection between a dramatist and any particular 
company is disproved by Fleay's own lists (Stage, pp. 305 
ft., 340 ft 3 ., 362-63 ). 6 It is true that Fletcher, for ten or 
fifteen years before his death, wrote exclusively for the 
King's Men, and that Massinger from 1625 to the time 
of his retirement or death seems to have composed exclu- 
sively for the same company. Probably these dramatists 
had annual, or "continuing," contracts with the King's 
Company during the years in which they seem to have 
composed exclusively for it. Possibly some of the later 
dramatists had similar contracts. However, between 1614 
and 1625, Massinger 's plays were produced by the King's 
Men, the Lady Elizabeth's Men, and the Revels Company. 
Dekker's plays during the same period were acted by the 
Lady Elizabeth's Men, and Prince Charles' (Charles I) 
Company. Ford, who had collaborated with Dekker on 
some of the plays just referred to, had one drama acted 
at the Fortune by the Palsgrave's Men. Middleton seems 
to have written for the King's Men, the Prince's Men, and 
the Lady Elizabeth's. 

6 For a refutation of Fleay's theories regarding the authors and 
the companies at an earlier period, see Thorndike, The Influence 
of Beaumont and Fletcher on Shakespeare, p. 11 ff. Professor 
Thorndike's arguments in favor of the free literary market apply 
as well in the post-Fletcherian period as the Fletcherian. 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 19 



After 1625, the relations of the dramatists and the com- 
panies continued, in general, as before. The plays of 
Brome were produced by the King's Men, the Queen's Men 
and the King's and Queen's Company. Those of Glap- 
thorne were acted by the King's Men, the King's Revels 
Company, and the King's and Queen's Company, and those 
of Nabbes by the Queen's Men, the Prince's Men and 
the King's and Queen's Company. Marmion seems to have 
written for both of the two last named companies. Shirley, 
himself, began with a play for the Lady Elizabeth's Men, 
and then wrote apparently two or three plays for the suc- 
cessors of that company (the Queen's Men) after which 
his Brothers was brought out in 1626 by the King's Men. 
With the exception of Love in a Maze, acted by the King's 
Revels Company in 1632, his other plays up to his de- 
parture for Ireland were produced by the Queen's Men. 
At his return he appears to have hesitated between the 
reorganized Queen's Men and the King's Men. Perhaps 
influenced by the fact that Massinger had died a year or 
two earlier, thus removing the chief dramatist of that com- 
pany, he cast his lot with the King's Men. 

The truth seems to be that the average dramatist wrote 
for a single company as long as it was to his interest to do 
so, and that the leaving of one company for another by a 
playwright, of which Fleay and some other critics make 
so much, is merely evidence that the author could sell a 
play for more money to one company than to another. 
Therefore, it is hazardous, not to say productive of serious 
error, to base any conclusions upon the presumption that 
an author (save Fletcher and Massinger as stated, and pos- 
sibly Shirley just before the closing of the theaters) was 
permanently retained to write for any single company. 7 

7 Note the preceding discussion in connection with The Politician, 
and The Brothers, Chaps. VI, and VII, respectively. 



20 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

D. The Audience 

Very necessary in the discussion of a popular drama, 
such as that of Elizabethan England, is the consideration 
of the audience whose collective criticism was the chief 
factor in determining the character of the plays which were 
written for it. 

At the accession of Charles I, England was divided both 
politically and religiously. On one hand, headed by the 
King and including most of the nobility and those who de- 
pended upon the court, were the upholders of absolutism, 
episcopacy, and more or less license of manners. Opposed 
to them were ranged the Puritan party, composed of many 
country gentlemen and the bulk of the trading classes, 
which advocated a limited monarchy, ecclesiastical reforma- 
tion, and sobriety of life. 

These two parties which dated from a much earlier 
period came into especial prominence first after the acces- 
sion of James I. The absolute cleavage between them was 
hastened and contributed to by the King's obstinate adher- 
ence to the theory of the divine right of kings and bishops, 
by his unpopular foreign and domestic policies, and by his 
submission to unworthy favorites. To these, as lesser 
causes of this well-nigh fatal division, may be added the 
personal unpopularity of the King as a foreigner and as a 
weak and undignified figure, the extreme corruption in the 
public offices, and the licentiousness and extravagance that 
reigned at court, to the last of which the King himself gave 
great encouragement. 

For the first of these two great parties the dramatist 
wrote. Like Stephens' Common Player "he was never a 
Puritan" (Essays and Characters, Bk. II, Character 4). 
Indeed May (who had personal grounds for his action) 
seems to have been the only dramatist who supported the 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 21 

Parliament in the later Civil War. Newcastle, Davenant, 
Shirley, Lovelace, and Lacy, to name only a few, bore arms 
for the King in that contest. The theaters had been un- 
der the patronage of the royal family since the accession 
of James I, and they seem to have been filled chiefly by 
members of the court-party. When his plays were printed 
the dramatist dedicated them, not to a butcher, a mercer, 
or a Puritan of birth, but to a courtly gentleman, at least, 
if not to a peer. If an author were fortunate, his plays 
were presented at court; after the accession of Charles I, 
the Queen attended performances at the private theaters. 
James I seems to have been interested more in controversial 
literature than in the drama, although somewhat of a poet 
himself and an admirer of splendid shows, while Queen 
Anne appears to have been attracted by the pageantry of 
the masque, more than by the less sumptuously presented 
play. On the other hand, both Charles I and his Queen 
patronized the fine arts with intelligence and taste. 

From the preceding pages it is evident that the courtiers 
and those favorably affected towards the court were the 
principal patrons of the theater. It was they who set the 
fashions in plays. At the same time it must be remem- 
bered that the public playhouses were still frequented by 
the lowest orders. Indeed, the theaters seem to have been 
supported by the two extremes of society. 

For the ' ' groundlings, ' 9 primarily, was intended the low 
comedy (almost always in prose) with its almost inevitable 
broadness and frequent obscenity and immorality, which is 
found in the majority of Elizabethan plays. The part of 
the audience that sat upon the stage or in the more ex- 
pensive seats was the class for which the most studied and 
literary portion of a play (the poetical main plot) was 
composed. However, there were certainly many persons 
of high station and birth who, together with the common 



22 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

herd, enjoyed ribaldry, and at the same time, doubtless, in 
the pit were some individuals of education and taste, such 
as poor students from the universities, or struggling 
authors. No more then than now did rank, wealth, and 
fashion indicate the absence of vulgarity and ignorance. 

Now it is a truism to say that in the capital of a kingdom 
ruled by such a king with such a court, a literary type, 
governed, as is the drama, in material and presentation by 
the demands of its audience (and an audience composed of 
persons, high and low, whose fundamental differences are 
rank and cultivation, not morals) will reflect the tastes 
of that audience. Here then we have the explanation of 
the Fletcherian play and its popularity. Thrilling trage- 
dies and tragicomedies with their presentation of abnormal 
situations, amusing comedies with their vivacity and fre- 
quent realism, and all three forms devoid of any real 
earnestness, the dramas of Beaumont and Fletcher are the 
natural dramatic food for such a period as that described 
above. The general merit of the plays (for those that are 
not great are always entertaining) enabled them to main- 
tain their popularity through the reign of Charles I, when 
society was outwardly more decent than in the preceding 
or the succeeding reign, far on into the moral reaction of 
the eighteenth century. 

During the seventeen years between the death of James I 
and the outbreak of the Civil War, social conditions changed 
little. Vices were practiced privately which had been prac- 
ticed in public at the less strict and less outwardly decent 
court of James I. The line of demarcation between play- 
goer and Puritan became more pronounced as the King, 
who had inherited his father's theories, endeavored to force 
them upon his people. Still do we find on one side the 
court, many of the great lords, and lesser nobility, and the 
rabble, and on the other the majority of the country gen- 



THE ENGLISH STAGE, 1620-42 23 

tlemen and the citizens (see Clarendon, Hist. I, 349, on the 
disaffection of the city of London in 1640). It is evident 
that plays were written, not for the mercantile classes, but 
for their political and religious adversaries, the members 
of the court and high church party. Therefore, during the 
literary lifetime of Shirley, the demands of the audience 
upon the dramatist were practically the same as during the 
activity of Fletcher. Furthermore, the high quality of 
Fletcher 's plays contributed, as noted above, to the frequent 
imitation of them during the reign of Charles I. 

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 

The chief authorities on which this chapter is based are : Thorn- 
dike, Tragedy, The Influence of Beaumont and Fletcher on Shake- 
spere, and his lectures on the Elizabethan drama delivered at Co- 
lumbia University, 1908-09; Ward, Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., II, 
III; Schelling, Eliz. Dram.; Fleay, Stage; Murray, Eng. Dram. 
Cos. (Fleay's statements have been checked by Murray's book) ; 
Traill, Social England, IV; Clarendon, Hist., I, II; Gardiner, 
Hist.; Green, Short Hist. 



CHAPTER II 

BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 

A. Biography 

James Shirley was born probably on the thirteenth of 
September, 1596, in or near the Parish of St. Mary Wool- 
church, which has since been incorporated in that of St. 
Mary Woolnoth, Walbrook. It has been conjectured that 
he was descended from the Shirleys of Sussex or Warwick- 
shire; but Sir A. W. Ward (D. N. B., LII, 126) denies this 
and states that he was not of gentle blood. The fact re- 
mains that he is designated on the titlepages of his plays as 
" James Shirley, gent." Fleay conjectures that James 
Shirley was the son of Henry Shirley, the dramatist, and 
says that Corydon (J. Shirley) as the son of Midas (H. 
Shirley) in Hey wood's Love's Mistress goes to prove this 
relationship (Anglia, VIII, 414). There is no ground, ap- 
parently, for any such belief. 1 There is no mention of a 
relationship in the dramatists dedication of Love in a 
Maze to the wife of Sir Robert Shirley, bart. On October 4, 
1608, the young Shirley was admitted to Merchant Taylor's 
School. Here in 1612 he is mentioned in the records as 
monitor. 

In the same year he was enrolled at St. John's College, 
Oxford. His intention was to enter the Church, but from 
this he was dissuaded for the time being by his patron and 

i See Nason, James Shirley, Chap. I, for the probable ancestry of 
Shirley. 

24 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 25 

friend, Dr. William Laud, then Master of St. John's, the 
reason for Laud 's objections to his taking orders being that 
Shirley had a mole or some similar mark upon his left 
cheek. Possibly as a result of this interference with his 
plans for his future, Shirley left Oxford before taking a 
degree and entered Cambridge as a member of Catharine 
Hall. Here he seems to have proceeded Bachelor of Arts 
before 1618, judging from the MS. copy of the titlepage of 
his non-extant Echo. Soon after 1619 he seems to have 
proceeded Master of Arts. The anonymous Compendious 
History of the English Stage (p. 29) says, "After the 
death of Beaumont, it has been said, Fletcher was assisted 
in his plots by Shirley ; but there appears little foundation 
for this assertion." Certainly while a mere boy at Oxford 
Shirley did not collaborate with the chief dramatist of the 
time, so this " assertion" may be dismissed with less con- 
sideration than the anonymous historian just quoted gave it. 
Upon leaving Cambridge, Shirley entered the Church 
and held a living in or near St. Albans, Hertfordshire. In 
January, 1621, he became head-master of St. Albans Gram- 
mar School. Having been converted to Catholicism, he 
gave up this position July 1, 1624. It has been conjectured 
that he was "negligent and unworthy" (Victoria History 
of the County of Hertfordshire, II, 63), but there is no 
proof of this. On the other hand, the fact that he was in 
comfortable circumstances when his will was made a short 
time before his death, after twenty years of school-teaching, 
goes to show that he was at least not unsuccessful as a 
pedagogue. The judgment of the historian above quoted 
may be suspected justly, for he gives (ibid.) the date of 
Shirley's first play as February 4, 1625-26. Mathias Shir- 
ley, the dramatist's son, was christened at St. Giles', Crip- 
plegate, February 26, 1624. The poet seems therefore in 
that year, before his formal relinquishment of his position 



26 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

at St. Albans, to have sent his wife to London. Shirley 
himself appears to have established himself in Gray's Inn, 
where he ' ' set up for a playmaker. ' ' 

Schipper surmises that Shirley took up the study of law, 
basing this conjecture upon the poet's residence in Gray's 
Inn, his familiarity with legal procedure as shown in 
Chabot, III, 2, V, 2, and his connection with the Inn as 
indicated on the titlepage of The Triumph of Peace (James 
Shirley, p. 9). This is not at all an untenable theory. 
Indeed, it seems quite probable that Shirley at least pre- 
tended to take up the legal profession, while, in reality, 
working as a dramatist. We find, for instance, in addition 
to the above examples of the dramatist's familiarity with 
the law, further evidence of a considerable knowledge of 
its terminology and methods in Love Tricks, III, 5 (the 
Country Magistrate's Speech), The Traitor, III, 1, and in 
Honoria and Mammon, which contains much legal verbiage. 
Other references to the law occur in the prologues to Love 
Tricks, The Example, The Imposture, The Sisters, among 
Shirley's own plays, while the prologues supplied by him 
for No Wit to a Woman's, "Another of Master Fletcher's 
plays there" (i.e. Ireland) and The General (VI, 492, 493, 
495, respectively) also contain more or less elaborate com- 
parisons based upon the practice of law. 

Love Tricks, Shirley's first play, was licensed February 
10, 1624-5 for the Lady Elizabeth's Men (shortly to be- 
come the Queen's) at the Cockpit (or Phcenix) theater. 
For this company, he wrote almost exclusively until 1636, 
the date of his departure for Ireland. The only exceptions 
were: The Brothers, first acted by the King's Men at 
Blackfriars in 1626; Love in a Maze, produced by the 
King's Revels Company at Salisbury Court in 1632; and 
The Arcadia, perhaps privately played about 1630. 

In 1635 John Ogilby, as Master of the Revels in Ireland, 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 27 

established a play-house in Dublin, the Earl of Strafford 
being then Lord Deputy. During the period of his depu- 
ty ship, Strafford seems to have maintained an almost regal 
court at Dublin (see Howell, Familiar Letters, I, 341 ff., II, 
420). In 1636, after the London theaters were closed on 
account of the plague, Shirley went to Ireland, where with 
the probable exception of a short visit to England in 1637 
(see Nissen, James Shirley, p. 17 ff., and the dedication to 
The Royal Master), he remained for about four years, re- 
turning apparently in the early part of 1640 (dedication 
to The Coronation). The Earl of Kildare, to whom The 
Eoyal Master was dedicated, seems to have been a patron of 
Shirley's, as well as the Earl of Strafford himself, to whose 
son Shirley dedicated The Court Secret many years later. 
At least four of Shirley's plays were produced in Ireland, 
if not more. 2 

After the reopening of the theaters in London in 1637, 
Shirley's plays were presented by the King's Men at 
Blackfriars. Up to the closing of the theaters in 1642, this 
company produced all of his plays save The Politician and 
The Gentleman of Venice. At the breaking out of the 
Civil War, the dramatist entered the royal service under 
the Earl, afterwards Duke, of Newcastle to whom he had 
dedicated The Traitor in 1635, and whom, according to 
Wood, 3 he had aided in the composition of his own plays 
(see Chap. X, Captain Underwit, The Variety, etc.). In 
1644, Newcastle retired to the Continent, and Shirley seems 
to have been thrown partly on his own resources. He pub^ 

2 For a full discussion of Shirley's residence in Ireland, see Nason, 
James Shirley, Chap. IV, and Nissen, James Shirley, p. 17 ff. 

3 Wood's exact words are : "Our author Shirley did also much 
assist his generous patron William Duke of Newcastle in the com- 
posure of certain plays which the Duke afterwards published" (Ath. 
Oxon, III, 737). 



28 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

lished his Poems in 1646, and in 1647, aided in the collec- 
tion of the plays of Beanmont and Fletcher for their publi- 
cation in the folio edition of that year, to which he furnished 
a preface. He lived under the protection of Thomas Stan- 
ley, the poet and philosopher, to whom The Brothers is 
dedicated. Between 1644 and 1649 Shirley seems to have 
returned to his early profession, and to have kept a school 
in Whitefriars. Various of his own plays, masques and 
entertainments were printed during this period. Also he 
produced some elementary school-books, Via ad Latinam 
Linguam Complanata, etc. 

After the [Restoration Shirley continued at his occupa- 
tion of keeping a school, instead of returning to the stage 
(his resolve not to do the latter is expressed in the preface 
to Honoria and Mammon in 1659). He was not, therefore, 
as Mr. Kingsley seems to assert in Plays and Puritans, p. 13, 
a court poet of Charles II. It is said by Wood that he 
aided Ogilby in his translations of Homer and Vergil at 
this time, and in a scurrilous poem called The Session of 
the Poets, it was hinted that the Honorable Edward 
Howard's plays were partly composed by Shirley. Cer- 
tainly, as to the latter, there is no internal evidence of Shir- 
ley's hand in Howard's plays. In 1666, during the Great 
Fire, the venerable poet, now in his seventieth year, was 
driven with his wife Frances "from their habitation near 
to Fleet Street, into the parish of St. Giles's in The Fields 
in Middlesex, where being in a manner overcome with af- 
frightments, disconsolations, and other miseries, occasion 'd 
by that fire and their losses, they both died within the com- 
pass of a natural day : whereupon their bodies were buried 
in one grave in the yard belonging to the said Church of 
St. Giles's on the 29th of October" (Wood, Ath. Oxon., 
Ill, 740). And so died James Shirley, the last of that 
wonderful succession of dramatic artists and poets to whom 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 29 

the greatest period in the literature of our race owes chiefly 
her preeminence. 

One of his sons was butler of Furnival's Inn in "Wood's 
time. The poet's will mentions three surviving sons and 
two daughters, one a widow; one married daughter had 
pre-deceased him (see Nason, James Shirley, Chap. V, and 
cf. Dyce, Some Account, Ward, D. N. B.). In his Roscius 
Anglicanus, p. 2, Downes mentions a Mr. Sherly as enter- 
ing Killigrew's Company after they had begun to play in 
Drury Lane in 1663 ; but neither in Roscius nor in Genest's 
Stage does there seem to be any further mention of this 
Sherly. It may be that he died soon after or quit the 
stage. Whether he was any relation to the poet is, of 
course, unknown, but that he was a son is by no means 
impossible. 

Shirley seems to have been a favorite of Queen Henrietta 
Maria, perhaps, like Massinger, on account of his religion. 
He appears also to have been in the good graces of King 
Charles, since he was commissioned to write The Gamester 
on a plot of the King's. A further indication of Shir- 
ley 's standing may be found in the fact that it was he who 
composed the "libretto" for the magnificent Masque of 
Peace (the most elaborate ever produced in England) 
which his brethren of the Inns of Court presented in reply 
to Histriomastix. 

From his works Shirley appears to have been a man of 
upright principles, with well-defined ideas of right and 
wrong. Indeed, his constant conversions of his wicked! 
characters are in some cases inartistic, and after a time, 
certainly monotonous. In no play does wickedness go un- 
punished if persisted in. Lady Bornwell in The Lady of 
Pleasure and Lady Huntlove in Captain Underwit come 
nearest to being exceptions to this general rule. It may be 
said that a man who, in spite of attempts at dissuasion, 



30 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

enters the Church of England, and shortly after quits 
his profession and enters the Church of Rome, at a time 
when no possible advantage could accrue from his conver- 
sion, but on the other hand, many inconveniences, shows a 
degree of thoughtfulness and conscientiousness which could 
not help manifesting itself in his writings. In the dedi- 
cation to The Maid's Revenge (1639) Shirley describes him- 
self as having never been a flatterer and of having been 
thought, as a result, not to have attained preferment as he 
might otherwise have done. As to the precise meaning of 
this passage, of course, we are in ignorance. Certain it is 
that his dedications, while complimentary, do not seem 
fulsome and are not nauseating to the modern reader be- 
cause of their gross flattery. The various references to 
English politics found in some of his plays show the author, 
in spite of his court affiliations and his religion, not to 
have been blind to the abuses of the time. It is well-known, 
of course, that his satiric pen came close to getting him 
into trouble in regard to The Ball (see under that play). 
We find among his patrons and friends the King and 
Queen, Archbishop Laud, the Earls of Kildare, Strafford, 
and Newcastle, the Countess of Ormond, Jonson, May, 
Ford, Habington, Randolph, Massinger, Stanley, Sher- 
burne, Richard, and Alexander Brome, and these are only 
the most prominent. Shirley seems, also, to have been a 
sort of master to Glapthorne; and there appears to have 
been some borrowing by each from the other. The Earl of 
Newcastle's literary connections with Shirley have already 
been mentioned. Langbaine (Dramatic Poets, p. 476) 
quotes Choice Drollery, p. 6, thus, 

"Shirley (the morning child) the Muses bred, 
And sent him born with bays upon his head." 

Anthony Wood, writing less than thirty years after his 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 31 

death calls him, "the most noted dramatic poet of his 
time" (Ath. Oxon., Ill, 737). 

However, he seems to have formed no school — he was 
not original enough — but rather to be a link between 
Elizabethan and Restoration comedy as well as one of 
the last eminent representatives of poetic stage tragedy 
and tragicomedy in the English drama. 

B. Stage History 

Shirley's fame, like that of most of the Elizabethans, 
declined rapidly after the Eestoration, although certain of 
his plays were acted apparently in their original form for 
several years. Langbaine, who died in 1692 at the age of 
thirty-six, mentions having seen The Court Secret, and 
The Chances (Love in a Maze) at the King's House; and 
The Grateful Servant and The School of Compliments 
(Love Tricks) at the Duke's House (Dramatic Poets, p. 
475). This was perhaps about 1675. Pepys saw The 
Court Secret as a new play August 18, 1664; Love in a 
Maze five times between May 22, 1662, and April 28, 1668 ; 
The Grateful Servant, February 20, 1668-69; and Love 
Tricks, August 5, 1667, and January 7, 1667-68. In addi- 
tion to these he records having witnessed three perform- 
ances of The Cardinal, two of The General (which is not 
Shirley's), one of Hyde Park, two of Love's Cruelty, four 
of The Traitor, and four of The Country Captain. 
Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 8) includes The Opportun- 
ity, The Example, The Cardinal, and The Traitor in a list 
of Killigrew's Theater Royal plays, to which he adds (p. 
15) Love in a Maze. 

Malone published a list of plays acted immediately after 
the Restoration from a MS. of Sir Henry Herbert's. Here 
we find recorded performances of The Traitor, Love's 
Cruelty, The Opportunity, The Wedding, The Country 



32 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Captain (Captain Underwit), The Little Thief (The Night- 
walker) , Love in a Maze, The Brothers, and The Cardinal, 
between November 6, 1660, and July 23, 1662 (Shakespeare 
Variorum, III, 273 ff.). Herbert, according to Malone 
(ibid.), lists The Traitor, Love's Cruelty, and The Wed- 
ding among the stock plays of the company which later 
played at the Theatre Royal. 

Downes says (p. 27) that after the Great Fire when 
Davenant's Company opened in Lincoln's Inn Fields, they 
revived The Grateful Servant, The Witty Fair One, and 
The School of Compliments. Genest adds The Nightwalker 
to this list of plays of Shirley's which still kept the stage 
(see Stage, I, 349, and note 339-352). Thirteen, then, of 
Shirley's plays were certainly played after the Restoration, 
besides two in which he was not the sole author, and one 
which is attributed to him on very inadequate grounds. 

Two of Shirley's plays seem to have been known abroad 
before his death. The Opportunity was acted by English 
comedians at Dresden in June, 1660 ; and The Traitor was 
played also by an English company at Dresden during the 
carnival in 1661. The identification of the latter play is a 
trifle doubtful, however, according to Dessoff (Studien zur 
vergleichenden Litteraturgeschichte, I, 421 if.). 

The process of alteration and revision which will concern 
us during the remainder of this portion of the chapter, 4 
seems to have begun before Shirley 's death. A droll called 
Jenkin of Wales was founded on Love Tricks, played about 
1647 (Halliwell's reprint, titlepage), and published in The 
Wits, in 1672 (Halliwell, Diet. 0. E. Plays, p. 132). The 
Rival Sisters of Gould, played at Drury Lane in 1696 
(Genest, II, 73-74), seems based on the same source as The 

* The various plays will be considered in the order in which they 
will be treated in the later portion of the book — approximately 
chronologically in the types in which they fall. 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 33 

Maid's Revenge, not on that play. Alonzo's speeches (III, 
p. 24) seem stolen, however, from Orlando Furioso's, Love 
Tricks, III, 5 (pp. 47-48). 

The Traitor was revived with alterations at the Theatre 
Royal (Drury Lane) in 1692, as by Anthony Rivers. The 
"alterations, amendments and additions" with which the 
play was published are very few, and consist, indeed, chiefly 
of omissions. As a matter of fact, it appears that the text 
of the tragedy was probably printed from the prompter's 
book of the original play. This version was repeated in 
1703 and 1704 (Genest, II, 295, 316). In 1718, further 
alterations were made by C. Bullock, and The Traitor was 
produced at Lincoln's Inn Fields, October 11, 1718 (ibid., 
II, 648). On February 10, 1819, Shiel brought out at 
Covent Garden a version of The Traitor, entitled Evadne, 
or the Statue. This alteration was acted thirty times. In 
New York, Evadne was played as late as December 13, 1881 
(Brown, Hist. N. Y. Stage, III, 30). There is more dra- 
matic unity in Shiel's play than in Shirley's (Genest, VIII, 
699 ff.). Almeyda, Queen of Granada, by Miss Lee, pro- 
duced at Drury Lane, April 20, 1796, is based avowedly to 
some extent on The Cardinal (see Miss Lee's Advertise- 
ment). The catastrophes come about in the same manner, 
and Almeyda follows the general plot of The Cardinal. 
This tragedy was acted five times (ibid., VII, 238 ff.). 

Alphonso, King of Naples, a play by Powell, produced 
at Drury Lane in 1691, borrows some names and eight 
characters from The Young Admiral. In the first three 
acts Powell follows Shirley's language and plot rather 
closely. The parts of the Sicilians are omitted, various 
characters are combined and others added, while the action 
is made tragic (cf. ibid., II, 10-11). The Bird in a Cage, 
with Money Works Wonders as a second title, was revived 
at Covent Garden as Quick's benefit, April 24, 1786. The 



34 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

alterations were slight (ibid., VI, 399-400). An apparent 
borrowing of Philenzo's device for entering the ladies' 
prison is found by Genest (VII, 554-5) in The Cabinet, an 
opera by Thomas Dibdin, first played at Covent Garden, 
February 9, 1802. Dibdin claimed to have got the idea 
from an old ballad called The Golden Bull, and discredited 
the other sources offered. In The Cabinet, Constantia 
escapes from her father's castle, and thereby from an un- 
welcome suitor, in a cabinet. This is the only resemblance 
to Shirley's play, and it is a rather slight one. However, 
in a song in II, 2, occurs the line: "The bird that sings 
from yonder cage" (referring to the cabinet). This opera 
was very successful, being presented thirty times, and hold- 
ing the stage for many years. In New York it was acted 
last, December 30, 1840 (Ireland, Records N. Y. Stage, 
II, 343-44). According to Halliwell (Diet. O. E. Plays, 
p. 200), The Opportunity was turned into a droll and pub- 
lished in The Wits, 1672, as A Prince in Conceit. The 
Sisters was altered by an anonymous author, and first pre- 
sented at Lincoln's Inn Fields as Like to Like, or a Match 
Well Made Up, on November 28, 1723. It is said to have 
been acted twenty years earlier (Genest, III, 142 ff.). 
The Fancied Queen, "a moderate opera in one long act," 
brought out in the summer of 1733, was founded on the 
same play of Shirley's {ibid., Ill, 395). 

The characters of the fat and lean suitors, Lodam and 
Rawbone, in The Wedding, have been used on at least two 
occasions. Howard 's All Mistaken, or the Mad Couple, pro- 
duced at the Theatre Royal, December 28, 1667, and Mol- 
loy 's farce called The Half -Pay Officers, which was brought 
out at Lincoln's Inn Fields, January 11, 1720, borrow these 
personages from Shirley. The latter has also taken over 
Rawbone 's man Camelion and renamed him Jasper (which 
is Haver's assumed name in The Wedding). Henry 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 



35 



Ward's farce, The Widow's Wish, or an Equipage of Lov- 
ers, is based on The Half -Pay Officers (ibid., IV, 116 ; III, 
35 ff. ; X, 172) . The Witty Fair One is the source of Ham- 
ilton 's Doting Lovers, or the Libertine Tamed, which was 
brought out at Lincoln's Inn Fields, June 23, 1714. The 
characters and a large part of the dialogue are drawn from 
Shirley (ibid., II, 569-70) . Oulton's musical farce, Fright- 
ened to Death, produced at Drury Lane, February 27, 1817 
(ibid., VIII, 589), seems based upon the portion of The 
Witty Fair One, which deals with Penelope's plot for 
Fowler 's reformation. In both productions a libertine who 
fills an assignation at night is reformed by his mistress' 
pretending he is dead. Certain details correspond as the 
attentions to the maids, the mock epitaph, the preparations 
for the funeral, and the pretended invisibility of the profli- 
gate after his death. Oulton claimed to have based his 
farce upon The Haunted Castle, a ''juvenile production" 
presented in Dublin. It was acted seventeen times. It 
was last played in New York, November 8, 1838 (Brown, 
Hist. N. Y. Stage, I, 248). Langbaine (Dramatic Poets, 
p. 477) says that a scene (IV, 1) in Dryden's Secret Love, 
or the Maiden Queen, in which Melissa examines her daugh- 
ters, Olinda and Sabina, as to their love for Celadon, is 
drawn from Love in a Maze (I, 2). The resemblance, how- 
ever, is not a particularly striking one. Powell's Very 
Good Wife, presented in 1693 at the Theatre Royal, is 
partly taken from Hyde Park, with extensive indebted- 
nesses also to The Court Beggar and The City Wit of 
Brome. Powell has used the names of Bonavent, Venture 
and Carol. In II, 1, III, 1, and IV, [2], Powell has drawn 
upon II, 4, and V, 1, of Shirley's comedy (cf. Genest, II, 
50). The same comedy of Shirley's is used by Mrs. Cooper 
in The Rival Widows, or the Fair Libertine, which came out 
February 22, 1735, at Covent Garden, and was acted six 



36 SHIRLEY'S PLAYS AND THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 

times. She borrows from the dialogue between Fairfield 
and Carol in II, 4 {ibid., Ill, 461-62). 

The Gamester, notwithstanding Kingsley's opinion of it 
(Plays and Puritans, p. 54 ff.), has been the most utilized 
of Shirley's plays. According to Downes (Roscius, p. 48), 
The Gamester was the first play presented in Vanbrugh's 
theater in the Haymarket in 1705 (see Genest, II, 329), but 
it is likely that this was not Shirley's Gamester but Mrs. 
Centlivre's. On November 1, 1711, Charles Johnson's 
Wife's Relief, or the Husband's Cure, was produced at 
Drury Lane. This is an alteration of The Gamester, with 
some changes of characters and plot and with most of the 
dialogue re-written (ibid., II, 490 ff.). Johnson discards all 
of Shirley's names save Hazard, which he gives to a sub- 
ordinate character. Old Barnacle and Sir Richard Hurry 
are combined as Sir Tristram Cash. There is some re- 
organization and rearrangement of scenes with one added 
incident. The play is in prose. This comedy was acted 
repeatedly up to 1782, in which year it was acted twice at 
benefit performances and on another occasion (ibid., VI, 
226). Garrick first presented a revision of The Gamester 
under the title of The Gamesters at Drury Lane, December 
22, 1757. Notwithstanding his assertion in the Advertise- 
ment, Garrick used Johnson's version, as well as Shirley's 
original play. A comparison of the three proves this point. 
Shirley's names were retained. The entire plot of Beau- 
mont, Delamore, etc., was eliminated, as well as certain 
portions of the main plot. Garrick has made some addi- 
tions, consisting of scenes as well as passages, all of which 
are in prose, while he preserves Shirley's speeches in verse. 
Certain changes in arrangement were also made. On the 
whole, this version of The Gamesters is nearer the original 
play than is Johnson's. It was acted six times (ibid., IV, 
512 ff.). This version of Shirley's comedy which was very 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 37 

popular for som© years was, apparently, acted last as Ban- 
nister's benefit at Drury Lane, April 28, 1806 (ibid., VII, 
708). Poole made yet a third alteration of The Gamester, 
condensing it into three acts. This version was produced 
at Covent Garden, March 13, 1827, and was acted eleven 
times (ibid., IX, 388-89). It was also acted in the follow- 
ing season. 

Genest (VII, 304-5) suggests that Holman's comic opera 
Abroad and at Home, presented at Covent Garden, Novem- 
ber 19, 1796, is in part based on The Example. In both 
pieces a man's debts are paid by a person in order that 
they may fight a duel — which does not take place in Hol- 
man's opera. There is also a lady of Lady Plot's stamp 
in the person of Lady Flourish. The indebtedness, how- 
ever, is a rather dubious one. This piece was played as 
late as 1822. The Lady of Pleasure seems to have been 
drawn on first by Mrs. Behn in The Lucky Chance, or an 
Alderman's Bargain; II, 1, III, 2, IV, 1, are certainly 
based upon IV, 1 and V, 1, of Shirley's play. Taverner's 
Artful Husband, played first at Lincoln's Inn Fields, Feb- 
ruary 11, 1717, is taken from The Lady of Pleasure. Tav- 
erner borrows Bornwell's cure of his wife's extravagance, 
and makes use of Shirley's Decoy, who, however, in The 
Artful Husband does not practise upon the character cor- 
responding to Lady Bornwell (ibid., II, 609 ff.). This 
play was produced as late as 1746, when it was acted as 
Mrs. Woffington's benefit at Drury Lane, March 3 (ibid., 
IV, 203; see also 205). The Artful Husband was in its 
turn altered by the elder Macready and produced as The 
Bank Note, or Lessons for Ladies, at Covent Garden, on 
the occasion of Johnstone's benefit, May 1, 1795. This 
version seems to have been very popular for the time being 
(ibid., VII, 214, 216, 261). It was acted in New York, 
June 2, 1797 (Ireland, Records N. Y. Stage, I, 147). 



38 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Charles Johnson's Masquerade, played at Drury Lane, 
January 16, 1718, is also based upon The Lady of Pleas- 
ure. The indebtedness is mentioned in the epilogue 
(Genest, II, 640-41). Trick for Trick, or The Admiral's 
Daughter, a farce, produced at Covent Garden, July 2, 
1812, as outlined {ibid., VIII, 297-98), seems based upon 
The Constant Maid, both the sham physician and the mis- 
understanding of III, 2, of Shirley's play being used, as 
well as the name "Heartwell." 

The story of The Arcadia of Sidney was dramatized by 
M 'Namara Morgan and played first at Covent Garden, Jan- 
uary 20 or 22, 1754, with Barry as Pyrocles. It was acted 
also in Dublin the following year. This play does not 
seem to owe anything to Shirley, but occasioned a reprint 
of his old drama (Genest, IV, 395-96). The Nightwalker 
was acted for the first time in six years September 18, 1705, 
at Drury Lane, after which we hear nothing more of it 
(ibid., II, 335). Love's Pilgrimage, according to Genest 
(VI, 447-48), was the source for a scene of The Sta<re Coach, 
a farce first acted, as altered from Farquhar, at Quick's 
benefit at Covent Garden, April 16, 1787. As Edwin 
played the part of a hostler, probably part of III, 1, of 
the old play was used. According to Langbaine (Dramatic 
Poets, p. 213), The Noble Gentleman was revived by 
D'Urfey as The Fool's Preferment, or the Three Dukes 
of Dunstable. This adaptation was produced in 1688 
(Ward, Hist. Eng., Dram. Lit., II, 739, note; see also 
Langbaine, Dramatic Poets, pp. 180-81). J. Sheridan 
Knowles adapted The Noble Gentleman under the title of 
The Duke of London, but his version seems never to have 
been acted and was printed first in 1874 (Hasberg, James 
Sheridan Knowles' Leben, pp. 25-26). Double Falsehood 
was acted as late as May 23, 1793 (at Bath), (Genest, VII, 
117). The Mountaineers of George Colman the Younger 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 39 

which was produced at the Haymarket, August 3, 1793, 
was not, as Genest seems to intimate (ibid., VII, 139), 
based upon Double Falsehood, but upon the story of Car- 
denio in Don Quixote. This is evident from the fact that 
the escape of the Christian prisoners from Granada with 
the Moorish princess which forms a part of the plot of 
Column's play, is founded upon the captive's story, Don 
Quixote, Part I, Bk. IV, Chaps. XII, XIII, XIV (Smol- 
lett's translation) . For many years The Mountaineers held 
the stage with fairly regular performances. In New York 
it was played last in March, 1865 (Brown, Hist. N. Y. 
Stage, II, 211 ). 5 

However, while certain of his plays still held the stage 
in a more or less altered form, and while others were 
plundered for farces and operas, as has been shown above, 
the fame of Shirley had become almost negligible. 
Phillips in his Theatrum Poetarum (p. 80), which is dedi- 
cated to Shirley's friends, Thomas Stanley and Edward 
Sherburn, and which was published in 1675, quotes ' ' some ' ' 
as placing Shirley "little inferior to Fletcher himself," 
and calls him "a just pretender to more than the meanest 
place" among the dramatic poets. The Glories of our 
Birth and State was published in folio as a broadside in 
black-letter about 1680, with seven additional stanzas un- 
der the title, The Vanity of Vainglory (Brit. Mus. Cat., 
CXI, 43). During the latter part of the seventeenth cen- 
tury Shirley is praised only by Gerard Langbaine, the first 
scholarly critic of the English drama. The introduction 
of Shirley in The Session of the Poets (Poems on Affairs 
of State, I, 208), is not complimentary. Dry den's con- 
temptuous allusions to Shirley in Mac Flecknoe doubtless 
had much to do with the comparative oblivion in which 

5 There seems no foundation for Dibdin's assertion that Foote 
used Shirley as a source, Hist. Stage, IV, 38. 



40 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

the old dramatist's works rested until the nineteenth cen- 
tury. Oldham in A Satire (Works, p. 417), makes Spenser 
couple Shirley and Silvester as mouldering in Duck Lane 
shops. Gildon in his Lives and Characters of the English 
Dramatic Poets, p. 131, wonders at Langbaine's praise of 
Shirley and decries the latter in comparison with Dryden. 
Robert Gould in a satire called The Playhouse, compares 
Shirley with D'Urfey (from the latter of whom Gould had 
previously niched a plot; earlier he had supplied Gould 
with a prologue and an epilogue for a play). Short no- 
tices of Shirley occur in Dodsley's Select Collection of Old 
Plays (1744), and in Chetwood's little volume with the 
same title (1751). Dibdin in his so-called History of the 
Stage (IV, 38 ff.) (c. 1800), in writing of Shirley (ap- 
parently from no acquaintance whatever with that author's 
works) says, in speaking of The Traitor (p. 40), that 
"tragedy was not his forte," and that The Cardinal "cre- 
ates but little interest," and is "but a dull thing" (p. 45). 
However, he says that Mrs. Behn, Bullock, and Foote have 
taken materials from him and that "even Dryden has 
given no mean account of him" (p. 38). The first gen- 
uine appreciation of Shirley after Langbaine's is to be 
found in Dr. Farmer's Essay on the Learning of Shake- 
speare, p. 38, where it is said: "his [Shirley's] imagina- 
tion is sometimes fine to an extraordinary degree." The 
Biographia Dramatica, I, 668, quotes the author of An 
Heroic Address in Verse to the Rev. Richard Watson, as 
calling for an edition of Shirley. Lamb in his Specimens 
from the Dramatic Poets makes extracts from Love Tricks, 
The Maid's Revenge, The Brothers, The Traitor, Love in 
a Maze, The Example, The Gentleman of Venice, The Lady 
of Pleasure, and The Politician. He ranks Shirley among 
the great Elizabethans. The actress Miss E. W. Macauley, 
who wrote some virulent pamphlets in the neighborhood 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 41 

of 1820, appears to have used Shirley's plays in her " Tales 
of the Drama, founded on the tragedies of Shakespeare, 
Massinger, Shirley, and others." However, since 1833, 
when Shirley's works became accessible to the general 
reader in the long delayed and characteristically unschol- 
arly edition by Gifford which Dyce finally completed, that 
dramatist has approached more closely the prominence 
among the Elizabethan playwrights to which his talents 
entitled him. 

C. Chronology 

There is certainly no dramatist of importance in the 
Elizabethan period whose plays can be dated as exactly 
as Shirley's by external evidence; and if we add internal 
evidence, there are very few plays indeed which can not 
be placed within a year or two. Following is a list of 
Shirley's works, dramatic and non-dramatic, including? 
those sometimes assigned to him, in their probable order of 
production, with the dates of licensing for the stage in 
the case of the plays, of registration at Stationers' Hall, 
and of the first printed edition. 6 

*1. A Yorkshire Tragedy;- 1605; 1608 (not Shir- 
ley's). 

*2. The Faithful Friends; 1614? (Thorndike, The In- 

1 In the case of plays, the first date, that of licensing for acting, 
is based, when not otherwise specified, upon Malone, Shakespeare 
Variorum, III, 231 ff. The second date (for non-dramatic works the 
first), which is that of licensing for the press, is drawn from Arber's 
Transcript of the Stationers' Registers. The third date, that of the 
printed book, is based on Greg's List of English Plays. . . . Printed 
before 1700, and the titlepages of the volumes. 

In the list above, the plays and other works, which have been 
assigned to Shirley, but in which he seems certainly to have had 
no part, are indicated by an *. 



42 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

fluence of Beaumont and Fletcher on Shakspere, p. 92) ; 
1812. 

3. Echo and Narcissus, the Two Unfortunate Lovers; 
for Francis Constable, January 4, 1617-18; 1618. 

*4. The Laws of Candy; 1619 (Thorndike, The Influ- 
ence of Beaumont and Fletcher on Shakspere, p. 93) ; 1647. 

5. Love Tricks, or The School of Compliments ; February 
10, 1624^5 ; for Master Constable as The School of Com- 
pliment, February 25, 1630-31 ; 1631. 

* 6. The Nice Valor; revived 1625 (Fleay, Biog. Chron., 
I, 196) ; 1647. 

7. St. Albans; not licensed ( ?) ; for William Cooke, Feb- 
ruary 14, 1639-40; not printed ( ?) ; non-extant (see Chap. 
VI). 

* 8. The Noble Gentleman ; February 3, 1625-26 ; 1647. 

9. The Maid's Kevenge, February 9, 1625-26; for Wil- 
liam Cooke, April 12, 1639 ; 1639. 

10. The Wedding; not licensed under that name? 
Fleay, Biog. Chron., II, 236, dates it in May, 1626. Not 
entered in the Stationers' Register, yet it was assigned by 
John Grove to William Leake, September 25, 1637, and the 
earliest extant edition is dated 1629. 

11. The Brothers ; November 4, 1626 ; 1652. 

* 12. Dick of Devonshire, conjectured by Fleay (Anglia, 
VIII, 406, etc.), to be the play licensed as The Brothers. 
Not Shirley's (see Chap. X) ; printed from the MS. in 
1883. 

13. The Witty Fair One ; October 3, 1628 ; for William 
Cooke, January 15, 1632-33 ; 1633. 

14. The Grateful Servant; November 31, 1629, as The 
Faithful Servant; for John Grove, February 26, 1629-30, 
as The Grateful Servant; 1630. 

* 15. Phillis of Scyros ; dated by Shelling, Eliz. Dram., 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 43 

II, 565, about 1630; printed 1655; not Shirley's (see Chap. 
X). 

16. The Arcadia; perhaps privately presented, 1630 (see 
Chap. VIII) ; for John Williams and Francis Egglesfeild, 
November 29, 1639 ; 1640. 

17. A Contention for Honor and Riches; not licensed; 
for William Cooke, November 9, 1632, as A Dialogue of 
Honor and Riches ; 1633. 

18. The Traitor; May 4, 1631; for William Cooke, No- 
vember 3, 1634; 1635. 

19 (A). The Duke; probably the same as The Humorous 
Courtier, and The Conceited Duke ( ?) ; licensed May 17, 
1631. 

19 (B). The Humorous Courtier; for license see above; 
for William Cooke, July 29, 1639 ; 1640. 

20. Love's Cruelty; November 14, 1631; for Master 
Crooke and William Cooke, April 25, 1639, and for John 
Williams and Francis Egglesfeild, November 29, 1639, with 
the note, "Love's Cruelty is entered before to Master 
Crooke"; 1640. 

21. The Changes, or Love in a Maze ■ January 10, 1631- 
32 ; for William Cooke, February 9, 1631-32 ; 1632. 

22. Hyde Park; April 20, 1632; for Andrew Crooke and 
William Cooke, April 13, 1637 ; 1637. 

23. The Ball; November 16, 1632; for Master Crooke and 
William Cooke, October 24, 1638>, as by Shirley; 1639. 

24 (A). The Beauties; probably the same as The Bird 
in a Cage; licensed January 21, 1632-33. 

24 (B) The Bird in a Cage; for license see above; for 
William Cooke, March 19, 1632-33; 1633. 

25. The Nightwalker; dated by Thorndike (Influence of 
Beaumont and Fletcher, p. 92) in 1612; revised after the 
publication of Histriomastix, 1632-33; May 11, 1633; for 



44 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Master Crooke and William Cooke, April 25, 1639, as The 
Nightwalters ; 1640. 

26. The Young Admiral; July 3, 1633; for Andrew 
Crooke and William Cooke, April 13, 1637 ; 1637. 

27. The Gamester; November 11, 1633; for Andrew 
Crooke and William Cooke, November 15, 1637 ; 1637. 

28. The Triumph of Peace ; presented February 3, 1633- 
34; for William Cooke, January 24, 1633-34, as "The 
Maske of the four inns of Court with the Sceane as it is to 
be presented before his Majesty at Whitehall the third of 
ffebruary next"; 1633-34. 

* 29. The Lover's Progress; revived May 7, 1634 (Fleay, 
Biog. Chron., I, 219) ; 1647. 

30. The Example; June 24, 1634; for Andrew Crooke 
and William Cooke, October 18, 1637 ; 1637. 

31. The Opportunity; November 29, 1634; for Master 
Crooke and William Cooke, April 25, 1639 ; 1640. 

32. The Coronation; February 6, 1634-35; for Master 
Crooke and William Cooke, April 25, 1639 ; 1640. 

33. Chabot, Admiral of France ; April 29, 1635 ; for Mas- 
ter Crooke and William Cooke, October 24, 1638, as Phillip 
Chabbott Admirall of Ffrance, and as by Shirley ; 1639. 

* 34. Love's Pilgrimage; revived September 16, 1635 
(Weber, Works of Beaumont and Fletcher, XIII, 295) ; 
1647. 

35. The Lady of Pleasure ; October 15, 1635 ; for Andrew 
Crooke and William Cooke, April 13, 1637 ; 1637. 

36. The Duke's Mistress; January 18, 1635-36; for 
Master Crooke and William Cooke, March 13, 1637-38; 
1638. 

37 (A). Look to the Lady; for date, etc., see Chap. X; 
for John Williams and Francis Egglesfeild, March 11, 
1639-40; possibly the same as 

37 (B). The Country Captain; printed as the Duke of 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 45 

Newcastle's in 1649, and as Shirley's in 1883, under the 
title of Captain Underwit (see Chap. X). 

38. The Royal Master; probably Shirley's first dramatic 
production in Ireland (Schipper, James Shirley, p. 191), 
and to be dated 1636-37 (Nissen, James Shirley, pp. 17- 
18; Nason, James Shirley, Chap. IV); licensed in Eng- 
land, April 23, 1638 ; for Master Crooke, John Crooke, and 
Richard Searger, March 13, 1637-38 ; 1638. 

39. The Doubtful Heir; produced in Ireland as Rosania, 
or Love's Victory, probably after Shirley's return from 
England in 1637, and certainly after Aglaura and Clari- 
cilla (see the Dublin prologue) ; licensed in England as 
Rosania, June 1, 1640 ; 1652. 

*40. No Wit, No Help like a Woman's; 1613; revised 
by Shirley (?) 1638; 1657. 

* 41. The General; played in Ireland in 1638 (a con- 
jecture of Schelling's, Eliz. Dram., II, 568). Non-extant 
if Shirley's; a play was printed under this title in 1853 
(see Chap. X). 

42. The Variety; 1638 (?); 1649; in collaboration (?) 
with the Duke of Newcastle (if so it should be dated 
earlier) . 

43. St. Patrick for Ireland; produced in Ireland about 

1639 (see Chap. VII) ; for Master Whitaker, April 28, 
1640; 1640. 

44. The Constant Maid ; played in Ireland between 1636 
and 1640 ; for Master Whitaker, April 28, 1640 ; 1640. 

45. The Gentleman of Venice; October 30, 1639; 1655 
(possibly first played in Ireland). 

46. The Triumph of Beauty; presented privately about 

1640 (Fleay, Biog. Chron., II, 244) ; 1646. 

47. The Imposture ; November 10, 1640 ; 1652. 

48. The Politician; licensed as The Politic Father (see 
Chap. VI), May 26, 1641; 1655. 



46 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

49. The Cardinal ; November 25, 1641 ; 1652. 

50. The Sisters; April 26, 1642; 1652. 

51. The Court Secret; acted first after the Restoration 
(see Pepys, Diary, IV, 206) ; 1653. 

52. Poems, &c. ; 1646. 

53. The Comedies and Tragedies of Beaumont and 
Fletcher ; 1647 ; preface by Shirley. 

*54. Wit's Labyrinth; 1648; not Shirley's ("J. S."). 
55. Via ad Latinam Linguam Complanata ; 1649. 

* 56. The Prince of Prigg's Revels; 1651; not Shirley's 
("J. S."). 

57. Cupid and Death; privately presented March 26, 
1653; 1653. 

58. The Rudiments of Grammar; 1656. 

* 59. Eio-aywy77 sive Introductorium Anglo-Latino-Grae- 
cum; 1656. 

60. Honoria and Mammon; composed earlier (?) ; 1659. 

61. The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses for the Armor 
of Achilles; privately presented about 1658 (?) ; 1659. 

62. Manductio; 1660. 

* 63. Andromana; after 1642 ( ?) ; not Shirley's. 

64. The Humorous Lovers; after the Restoration (?); 
1677; in collaboration with the Duke of Newcastle ( ?) ; (if 
so, an earlier date is necessary). 

65. The Vanity of Vainglory; The Glories of our Birth 
and State with additional stanzas; 1680 (?). 

* 66. True Impartial History and Wars of the Kingdom 
of Ireland; second ed., 1692; dedication signed "J. S." 

* 67. Double Falsehood ; published from the MS. with 
alterations by Theobald, 1728 ; authorship a problem. 

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 

The part of the foregoing chapter which deals with Shirley's 
biography has been drawn from Wood's Athenae Oxonienses, III, 



BIOGRAPHY; STAGE HISTORY; CHRONOLOGY 47 

737 if. ; Dyee's Account of Shirley and his Writings, prefixed 
to Gilford's edition of Shirley's works; Ward's Hist. Eng. Dram. 
Lit., Ill, 89 ff., and his notice of Shirley in D. N. B., LII, 126 
ff. ; Schipper's James Shirley, Fleay's Annals of the Careers 
of James and Henry Shirley, Anglia, VIII, 405 ff. (1885), Biog. 
Chron., II, 233 f£. The best account of Shirley's life is that in 
Nason's James Shirley, Chaps. I-V, inclusive, which is now in 
proofs (March, 1914). 



CHAPTER III 

THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF 
SHIRLEY'S PLAYS 

In the words of the author of the excellent article upon 
the Gifford-Dyce edition of Shirley in The Quarterly Re- 
view, XLIX, 14: 

''When Shirley came on the stage, he might seem to 
succeed to a mine, of which the wealth had been completely 
exhausted — a land, of which every nook and corner had 
been explored and cultivated to its utmost height of pro- 
ductiveness. Every source from which dramatic invention 
had drawn its materials might seem dried up. The his- 
tory of every country had been dramatized — every distin- 
guished personage in ancient or modern times had appeared 
on the stage — even the novelists of Italy were well nigh 
run to their dregs; human nature itself might almost ap- 
pear to have been worked out — every shade and modifica- 
tion of character had been variously combined, every inci- 
dent placed in every possible light." 

Not only were the sources for plays exhausted, but by 
reason of that very exhaustion, in part, the drama had be- 
come conventionalized "when Shirley came on the stage." 
The dramatic types which were to dominate the English 
stage until the closing of the theaters, and which were to 
exert a strong influence upon the drama of the Restora- 
tion, had been firmly established. The tragedies, tragi- 
comedies, and comedies of Fletcher and his school were to 
define the plays of 1625-42. The influence of Jonson, 

48 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OP SHIRLEY 's PLAYS 49 

Shakespeare, and other playwrights still persisted, but in a 
less distinct form, or in minor writers, and in the ease of 
Jonson, often intermingled with romantic elements from 
Fletcher. 

Because of this very conventionalization of its elements, 
both in comedy and the more serious forms, and because of 
its subject-matter and treatment, the drama had drawn 
appreciably away from life and genuine realism. It had 
begun to receive its inspiration chiefly from earlier 
plays and from established convention rather than from 
the realism of observation or imagination. The drama 
was semi-literary, and therefore often dealt with life at 
second-hand. Two courses were open to the dramatist 
of this period : to carry on the established traditions or to 
seek out new material. Ford did the latter; almost all 
other dramatists did the former. As a result, we find Ford 
almost as far from real life as Carlell. One pictures the 
darkest and rarest emotions of the human heart (which 
earlier dramatists had never dared to portray) ; the other 
gives us wildly romantic plays ''full of loue & the tryalls 
of louers. ' ' x 

There is no unanimity among scholars as to what dra- 
matist exerted the greater influence upon Shirley. Pro- 
fessor Thorndike considers that of Fletcher to be the 
strongest, as do Nissen (James Shirley, p. 2), Prolss (Das 
neuere Drama der Englander, p. 210), Koeppel (Shake- 
speare's Wirkung, pp. 54-55). Ward intimates the same 
(Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 94), as does Neilson (Cam. 
Hist. Eng. Lit., VI, 223). On the other hand, Schipper 
(James Shirley, p. 345) and Schelling (Eliz. Dram., II, 
323) consider Shirley either more a follower of Shake- 

i From a quaint MS. critical note by "Frances Wolverton" in 
Mead's Combat of Love and Friendship, Columbia University Library 
copy. 



50 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

speare or Jonson, or else more original than do other schol- 
ars generally. Prolss (as cited above) sees a strong influ- 
ence of Webster and Ford upon Shirley's dramas. He is 
not far wrong in regard to certain plays, but there are no 
grounds for such a sweeping statement. 

While it cannot be denied that to a certain extent Shir- 
ley follows Shakespeare and Jonson, still it seems that 
Fletcher, whose name was so often linked with that of Shir- 
ley in comparisons in their own century, was his real mas- 
ter. That this is the case, a study of the subject-matter 
and methods of treating it of the two dramatists will show. 
They handle the same situation in the same settings with 
the same characters too frequently to permit the forming 
of any other opinion. 

It should not be supposed that Shirley followed Fletcher 
blindly; such is not the case. Not infrequently does he 
introduce original variations upon the Fletcherian inci- 
dent; but he exhibits the influence as well of Shakespeare, 
Jonson, and others of the more important dramatists. 
Sometimes, too, he draws upon such obscure writers as 
Sharpham and Machin. Furthermore, he seems occasion- 
ally beyond doubt to have invented certain of his incidents. 
In any event, however, the sum of Shirley's borrowings 
from single plays is insignificant when compared with his 
general indebtedness to the great mass of extant dramatic 
material. Most often his source is not a single play but the 
various groups of plays ivhich employ in common with his 
dramas certain situations, incidents, devices, and char- 
acters. 

The plot of each of Shirley's plays — even to some de- 
gree those of The Arcadia and of The Opportunity — rep- 
resents a combination of materials from various sources. 
As is shown in Chap. V, Shirley had no scruples about 
revising the plots which he borrowed. He not only changed 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SHIRLEY 'S PLAYS 51 

their catastrophes to suit himself, but introduced new epi- 
sodes, new incidents, new devices, new characters and new 
characterizations. These are new only in the sense that 
they are the playwright's addition, for in fact they often 
have many parallels in earlier plays. With scarcely an 
exception the incidents added by Shirley tend further to 
complicate the plot. The new characters fall in love and 
thus create new entanglements, and so on. Only in The 
Young Admiral do we find Shirley cutting down his orig- 
inal without introducing new complications in place of 
the expunged incidents. It is true that he substitutes comic 
scenes for the unused passages, but they are very simple 
in structure, and do not add anything to the main plot. 
When there is no discoverable specific main source for the 
plot of a play of Shirley 's, we are justified in asserting that 
he follows the same course, whether his original be merely 
unknown or whether the plot be of his own invention. The 
same process of combining anew old and conventional- 
ized elements with perhaps slight variations or reversals 
of the characters concerned runs through all his plays from 
Love Tricks to The Court Secret. Let any play of Shir- 
ley's, save The Arcadia, be compared with fifty earlier 
dramas, and the poet will be judged an arrant plagiarist. 
Let, however, the Shirleian play be considered in its rela- 
tions to the entire earlier Elizabethan drama, and its au- 
thor will be seen in his true light as a conformer to things 
as they were whose originality lies not in his material, but 
in his use of it, and as a writer who preferred morality (in 
the Caroline sense) and some degree of probability to orig- 
inality and novelty. 

Before proceeding to a detailed consideration of the sit- 
uations, incidents, devices and characters in Shirley 's plays, 
there are some general characteristics which should be 



52 Shirley's plats and the Elizabethan drama 

discussed. They serve either to relate the plays as wholes 
with the body of the Elizabethan drama, or to differentiate 
them from it. 

Eighteen of Shirley's plays, not including Chabot, have 
scenes laid at court either in entirety or in part. This 
number includes all the tragedies save The Maid's Re- 
venge, all eight tragicomedies, and all the romantic com- 
edies except The Brothers, and The Sisters, in the latter 
of which a prince in disguise and a mock-court occur. The 
nearest approach in the realistic comedies to a court setting 
is the sham-court of The Constant Maid. However, pure 
realistic comedy is never laid at court, and save in chron- 
icle plays sovereigns seldom take part in genuinely comic 
scenes. 

The characters in the plays which deal with life at court 
are appropriate to the setting. Sovereigns, courtiers and 
court-ladies are among the chief figures. Personages of 
rank or of distinctly good birth figure in all the plays 
except The Wedding. The characters in that play, it must 
be noted, are by no means of the lowest orders. 

Shirley usually shows no especial regard for the 
"divinity that doth hedge a King." Sciarrha in The 
Traitor, III, 2, makes his preparations for putting the Duke 
to death in spite of Amidea's recalling to him that per- 
son's rank. The attempted assassinations of The Politi- 
cian, The Duke's Mistress, and The Imposture fail 
because of genuine loyalty on the part of a conspirator, 
not because of any trepidation engendered by the prospec- 
tive victim's rank. Vittori in The Young Admiral, who 
is loyal at heart, is independent. The Court Secret is 
Fletcherian in the great respect shown by Manuel for 
Prince Carlos' person, but even Manuel fights the Prince 
of Portugal in the course of the play without any com- 
punctions. There is very little approach in Manuel or any 



other character of Shirley's to the abject loyalty of Amin- 
tor, The Maid's Tragedy, III, 1, of Valerio, A Wife for a 
Month, III, 3, or of Lucio, The Cruel Brother, V, 1. 

What is practically a single plot is met with in several 
of Shirley's plays. The Maid's Revenge, The Politician, 
The Cardinal, The Royal Master, The Court Secret, The 
Humorous Courtier, and The Coronation have in reality 
only one action. In a number of the other plays the sec- 
ondary plot is so closely interwoven with the main action 
and the characters of both are so closely connected that 
they are very nearly entitled to membership in the same 
group. The broadly comic scenes in Shirley are generally 
so very much subordinated to the more serious plot that 
often they need hardly be considered as forming a separate 
action. Frequently they are extremely episodic, as in The 
Bird in a Cage, and sometimes, as in The Court Secret, the 
characters figuring in them take an important part in the 
main action as well. We find but one comic scene in The 
Maid's Revenge, The Traitor, and The Politician. There 
is one entirely comic scene and a humorous dialogue in 
another scene in Love's Cruelty. Only a portion of one 
scene in The Cardinal is devoted to comedy. The Corona- 
tion is nearly devoid of any low comedy. This comparative 
lack of a farcical sub-plot tends to unify the play, of course, 
and, generally speaking, a well unified plot is a character- 
istic of Shirley's. 

As Ward says, Shirley " displayed in tragic as well as 
comic actions a curious presentiment of the modern theatri- 
cal principle that everything depends on the success of 
one great scene (la scene a faire)" (D. N. B., LII, 128). 
In evidence we may cite The Traitor, III, 3, Love's Cruelty, 
IV, 1, The Grateful Servant, IV, 2, The Example, III, 1. 

The love element is sometimes very much subordinated in 
Shirley's plays, as in The Politician. In The Humorous 



54 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Courtier it is pretended love which is set to the front while 
genuine love is kept in the background. Rivalry in love is 
a prominent motive in most of the tragicomedies and some 
of the romantic and realistic comedies. Generally, in the 
first two classes the rivals are a prince or princess, and a 
mere gentleman or lady. The Young Admiral, The Duke 's 
Mistress, The Court Secret, and The Opportunity are con- 
cerned with the love of a prince and a gentleman for the 
same lady. The last-named play also shows a princess and 
a lady as rivals for the hand of a private gentleman. In 
The Royal Master, and The Imposture we have a prince 
and a favorite as suitors to a princess. Two princely broth- 
ers are rivals for a lady's hand in St. Patrick for Ireland. 
Apparent or real disparity of birth used as an obstacle to 
love is found in The Royal Master, The Imposture, The 
Gentleman of Venice, The Bird in a Cage, and The Corona- 
tion. Disparity of fortune figures as a hindrance to love 
in several realistic comedies, as in The Wedding, The Witty 
Fair One, and Love in a Maze. 

True love and lust are contrasted in The Traitor, Love's 
Cruelty, The Duke's Mistress, St. Patrick for Ireland, The 
Grateful Servant, The Arcadia, The Witty Fair One, Hyde 
Park, The Gamester, and The Example. In several of 
these, however, the contrast is not carried through the play 
or is perhaps more a contrast of character than of action, 
as in The Traitor. In The Example a contrast is fur- 
nished by the conversion of a rake in the middle of the 
play. St. Patrick for Ireland, The Witty Fair One, and 
The Gamester are the most Fletcherian in their presentation 
of the contrast. 

Heroic love, the sort of love which to possess its object 
will go to any extreme of violent or unusual action, is most 
nearly approached in The Young Admiral, The Court Se- 
cret, and The Coronation. As a modification of heroic 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SHIRLEY 'S PLATS 55 

love the renunciatory type of love as treated in the follow- 
ing chapter should be noted. Closely connected with heroic 
love are the conflicts of love and honor, love and friend- 
ship, and love and ambition. These conflicts are not very 
much emphasized by Shirley ; he has frequently the oppor- 
tunity for them, but generally does not utilize them. Love 
and honor enter into The Maid's Revenge, and The Young 
Admiral, love and friendship into Love's Cruelty, and love 
and ambition into The Opportunity, and The Coronation. 

Inconstancy in love is not uncommon in Shirley's plays. 
We have not only the lover who forsakes his mistress and 
then returns to her to be forgiven and to be reconciled, 
but also the corresponding female figure — the fickle mis- 
tress, — and the errant husband or wife. The lovers who 
leave one mistress temporarily for another or who hesitate 
between two ladies but who return to their old loves or 
definitely choose one lady are Cesario in The Young Ad- 
miral, the Duke in The Royal Master, Carlo in The Court 
Secret, Alberto and Don Carlos (the latter of whom is 
finally unsuccessful as is Aurelio in The Opportunity) in 
The Brothers, the Duke in The Grateful Servant (a varia- 
tion, as is Contarini in The Sisters), Arcadius in The Cor- 
onation, Thornay, Gerard, and Yongrave in Love in a Maze. 
To their number Ferdinand in The Doubtful Heir may be 
added, as far as his actions go; at heart he is faithful to 
Rosania, even though he marries Olivia. 

The fickle mistress is exemplified in Selina in Love 
Tricks, Olivia in The Doubtful Heir, Maria in The Court 
Secret, Estefania in The Brothers, the Duchess and Corne- 
lia in The Opportunity, Sophia in The Coronation, Chryso- 
lina in Love in a Maze, and Julietta in Hyde Park. Pos- 
sibly Berinthia's being won away from Velasco by Antonio 
in The Maid's Revenge should be mentioned in this group, 
but Shirley does not emphasize her previous regard for 



56 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Velasco. Certain of the characters above noted fall in this 
category as mistresses who merely transfer their love from 
one character to another. Selina, Maria, Estefania, Chrys- 
olina, and Julietta are of this description. 

The husband whose love for his wife is weakened for the 
time being by the charms of another lady is found in the 
persons of the King in The Politician, the Duke in The 
Duke's Mistress, Basilius in The Arcadia, Contarini in The 
Humorous Courtier, and Wilding in The Gamester. To 
these might be added the Duke in The Traitor (whose wife, 
a child of thirteen is mentioned ibid., IV, 2) and Lodwick 
in The Grateful Servant whose infidelity is due to no par- 
ticular lady. The Duke of Florence in the former play, 
it should be noted, is not finally reconciled with his wife. 

The inconstant wife who finally returns to her husband 
is used four times by Shirley in uncollaborated plays, 
as Gynecia in The Arcadia, Mrs. Bonavent in Hyde Park, 
Lady Plot in The Example, and Lady Bornwell in The 
Lady of Pleasure. Lady Huntlove in the collaborated ( ?) 
Captain Underwit is a character of the same description. 
Mrs. Bonavent hardly belongs in this class since she re- 
marries under the impression that her husband is dead. 
Clariana in Love's Cruelty, it must be remembered, is not 
won back by her husband. 

Here then we have at least sixteen of Shirley's independ- 
ent plays, to say nothing of one other in which he prob- 
ably had a hand, which deal with errant affections that 
at last fix themselves upon the object to which they first 
were directed or that shift merely from one character to 
another. Not only do we have one case of this amorous 
instability in a single play, but even sometimes two or 
three, as in The Opportunity, The Coronation, or Love in 
a Maze. 

Kingsley in Plays and Puritans has much to say con- 



57 

cerning Shirley's immorality, which he asserts to be ex- 
treme. However, Kingsley has considered Shirley's plays 
apart from their own times and apart from the body of 
Elizabethan drama. In spite of his evident desire to make 
out a strong case against the Anglican priest turned papist 
and dramatist, Kingsley has actually missed the two really 
doubtfully moral plays — The Example and The Lady of 
Pleasure (Captain Underwit had not yet been connected 
with Shirley). 

As a matter of fact, virtue is generally triumphant in 
Shirley's plays. When it is not, guilty and innocent fall 
together. Dramatic truth is sacrificed to the author's de- 
sire to reconcile his characters with virtue, as in the con- 
version of the Duke in The Duke 's Mistress. In that play 
and in The Politician we find the wicked characters all 
receiving their just deserts while the virtuous live happily 
forever after. It is certainly true that assaults upon inno- 
cence play a large part in Shirley's plays; but it is true 
also that only in The Lady of Pleasure (if by any extreme 
of courtesy Lady Bornwell may be called innocent) does 
a woman yield to her desires without paying the penalty. 
Even she seems to suffer from her conscience. Lady Plot 
in The Example is ready to yield were she attacked, but she 
has at least a little excuse for her actions in Sir Solitary's 
mania. Lady Huntlove in Captain Underwit is another 
character of the same general sort. Clariana in Love's 
Cruelty and Marpisa in The Politician, who are both 
adulteresses, die after torturing mental struggles, one at 
the hands of her former paramour, the other by self-ad- 
ministered poison. Juliana in The Imposture, whose life 
has not been spotless, is sentenced to finish her days in a 
nunnery. 

It cannot be denied that in some plays Shirley, like nearly 
every other Elizabethan dramatist, shows a certain moral 



58 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

obtuseness or callousness. Lodwick in The Grateful Serv- 
ant, Contarini in The Humorous Courtier, and Cornari in 
The Gentleman of Venice escape entirely too easily in every 
way the consequences of their variations upon the situa- 
tion of The Curious Impertinent. Likewise, the horrible 
effrontery of Wilding in The Gamester, who would have 
his wife procure her kinswoman for him, certainly is not 
adequately punished. But in these four cases we must 
remember that the characters mentioned believe themselves 
cuckolds for a time and suffer accordingly. Doubtless their 
mental perturbation was made much more vivid on the stage 
than it is in cold type to us. Lady Bornwell suffers as a re- 
sult of her transgression, but there seems no especial re- 
gret on the parts of Lady Plot and Lady Huntlove for 
their projected infidelity. 

Shirley's habit of converting his wicked or licentious 
characters (in tragicomedy and comedy) during the course 
of a play has been mentioned before. His young profli- 
gates do not (with the exception of Luys in The Brothers) 
play various amusing but unexemplary pranks through a 
comedy and make their final exits unsubdued and fortunate 
besides. His Fowlers and Lodwicks, unlike Fletcher's 
Monsieur Thomases and Pinacs, finally are repentant. Un- 
convincing as some of the conversions are, being purely 
sops to the dramatist's conscience, 2 they are there in the 
plays and the fact of Shirley's use of them forces their 
consideration in any discussion of the dramatist's morality. 

We find little grossness for its own sake in Shirley's 
plays. True, the discovery of Clariana and Hippolito in 
bed in Love's Cruelty, IV, 1, is a strong situation even for 
the Elizabethan stage, but it is not merely dragged in as 
being risque. On the other hand, it heightens very much 

2 Malipiero, The Gentleman of Venice, V, 2, 4, Contarini, The 
Humorous Courtier, V, 3. 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OP SHIRLEY'S PLAYS 59 

the effect of Bellamente 's surprise of the guilty couple, and 
thus serves an important theatrical purpose. In Love 
Tricks, II, 2, III, 1, old Rufaldo gloats over the charms of 
his youthful bride. If we compare these two passages with 
Mrs. Behn's Lucky Chance, I, 3, we can see what possi- 
bilities lay there, and can readily appreciate the discretion 
and decency of Shirley. Only in The Gentleman of Venice 
is a prostitute a character, and only in The Lady of Pleas- 
ure is a bawd introduced. Juliana in The Imposture has 
merely gone astray, and the Nurse in The Constant Maid 
is not a professional procuress. In none of the comedies 
(or any of the other plays) do we find even an approach to 
the utter vileness of thought and language of such a play 
as, for instance, The Parson's Wedding. Indeed in spite 
of occasional lapses (which are to be found in the plays 
of every Elizabethan dramatist) it cannot be said that Shir- 
ley was by any means consistently immoral in conception 
or gross in language. 

Even in The Traitor or Love's Cruelty we find no such 
almost totally unrelieved atmosphere of lust and horror 
as we encounter in The Revenger's Tragedy, King Lear, 
The White Devil, Thierry and Theodoret, The Unnatural 
Combat, Women Beware Women, Albovine, and 'Tis Pity 
She's a Whore. The Traitor has the nobility of Cosmo 
(which is, however, a trifle dulled by his prudence), as a 
relief, and Love's Cruelty has a comparatively bright spot 
in the Duke's penitence and his proposed match with Eu- 
bella. The Cardinal, which is more consistently gloomy 
than any of the other tragedies, has lust merely as an inci- 
dent, not as a motive. 

For a writer who was evidently conversant with much 
of the earlier drama, and who wrote at a time when sensa- 
tion of some sort was nearly the prime necessity in a play, 
Shirley has kept singularly clear of that element, as far 



60 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

as theatrical devices go. We have indeed the old horror of 
kissing a corpse by mistake for a living woman in The 
Traitor. Lorenzo's stabbing the Duke's picture in the 
same play is a bit of uncalled-for clap-trap. Death by 
poison with its more or less gruesome accompaniments is 
introduced in The Maid's Revenge, The Politician, The 
Cardinal, and St. Patrick for Ireland, Assassinations take 
place on the stage in The Maid's Revenge, 3 The Traitor, 
Love's Cruelty, and The Cardinal, and are attempted in 
The Politician, and The Imposture. Duels are found in 
The Maid 's Revenge, 4 The Cardinal, and The Court Secret. 
Deaths by violence are represented also in The Duke's Mis- 
tress, and St. Patrick for Ireland. Murder in a masque 
occurs only in The Cardinal, although masques are intro- 
duced in The Maid's Revenge, and The Traitor. 

Illicit relationships exist only in Love's Cruelty, The 
Politician, and The Lady of Pleasure, and in the last two 
plays they are not especially emphasized. A sister in love 
with a brother is found in The Court Secret and The 
Coronation. The same situation is made use of in The 
Opportunity. In the first two plays the relationship is 
discovered or the love is transferred before the matter has 
gone too far, and in the last-named the relationship is not 
an actual one, but feigned. 

Revenge, as a motive, plays an important part in The 
Maid's Revenge, The Traitor, Love's Cruelty, The Politi- 
cian, and The Cardinal, and enters into The Duke's Mis- 
tress, and St. Patrick for Ireland. The Cardinal, indeed, is 
strongly reminiscent of such plays as Hoffman, or Hamlet, 
for we have Columbo's revenge upon Alvarez, the revenge 
of Hernando and Rosaura upon Columbo and the Cardinal, 

3 A sister slays her brother while he sleeps. 

* Two ladies, each of whom loves the other's brother, witness 
those same brothers engage in a duel which is fatal to one combatant. 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SHIRLEY'S PLAYS 61 

and the revenge of the last upon them. Single revenges 
are found in the other plays mentioned above. 

The family feud which is at the bottom of the action of 
The Bloody Brother, and Thierry and Theodoret, for in- 
stance, is utilized by Shirley only in The Maid's Revenge, 
The Gentleman of Venice, The Court Secret, and The Cor- 
onation. In the last two plays it is the result of the 
ignorance of the true identity of certain of the characters 
involved. Only in The Maid's Revenge does the feud as- 
sume anything like the proportions and the seriousness of 
those in some earlier plays, and there, as well as in The 
Gentleman of Venice, it is not laid at court. 

Shirley possesses the fondness for surprises of the aver- 
age dramatist of his time. Usually, they are well handled. 
Very seldom does he manage a sudden change in relation- 
ship as badly as the shift of Selina's affections from Ru- 
faldo to Infortunio in Love Tricks. After her passion for 
the former has been emphasized, as it is, it is inadequate 
in the extreme to introduce her without warning as having 
fled from her father's house to avoid her impending mar- 
riage with Rufaldo. Some of Shirley's other plays into 
which surprise enters are The Traitor, Love's Cruelty, 
The Politician, The Cardinal, The Duke's Mistress, St. 
Patrick for Ireland, The Doubtful Heir, The Gentleman of 
Venice, The Imposture, The Court Secret, The Brothers, 
The Grateful Servant, The Bird in a Cage, The Coronation, 
The Sisters, The Wedding, Hyde Park, The Gamester, The 
Example, The Constant Maid. The sudden changes in 
some of these plays, like the conversion of Fitzavarice in 
The Example, are more or less mechanical. Nearly always 
they are short cuts to the happy ending of the play (as 
such devices often are). Thus the discovery of Giovanni's 
real parentage in The Gentleman of Venice removes the 
only obstacle to his marriage with Bellaura. Occasionally 



62 

the surprise is used with excellent effect and with consid- 
erable originality, as in Julietta's breaking her engage- 
ment to Trier because of the test to which he has subjected 
her (Hyde Park). 5 Other circumstances of a novel nature 
(although not unparalleled) are the return of the Duke to 
the pursuit of Amidea in The Traitor, and the manner of 
the Cardinal's death in The Cardinal. Most frequently 
resurrections, repentances, and the explanation of actions 
as trials of one quality or another are Shirley's favorite 
means of injecting the unexpected into a play. 

Shirley was fond of introducing deliberate contrasts of 
character; and sometimes he has done it very effectively. 
Berinthia and Catalina in the first four acts of The Maid's 
Revenge illustrate very well this practice of the dramatist 's. 
Often the contrast is almost too obvious to be really strik- 
ing. Thus the Duke and Cosmo in The Traitor, or Mar- 
pisa and Albina in The Politician, are too nearly the exact 
opposites of each other. As further examples of this 
Fletcherian device we may cite Eubella and Clariana, Se- 
bastian and Bovaldo in Love 's Cruelty, Domitilla and Theo- 
dosia in The Royal Master, Rosania and Olivia in The 
Doubtful Heir, Conan and Corybreus in St. Patrick for 
Ireland, Giovanni and Thomazo in The Gentleman of Ven- 
ice, Manuel and Carlo in The Court Secret, the Duke and 
Lodwick, or Foscari and Lodwick in The Grateful Servant, 
Ursini and Aurelio in The Opportunity, Polidora and 
Sophia, Seleucus and Arcadius in The Coronation, Ange- 
lina and Paulina in The Sisters, Aimwell and Fowler in 
The Witty Fair One, Yongrave and Thornay in Love in a 
Maze, Beaumont and Wilding in The Gamester, Lady 
Peregrine and Lady Plot in The Example, and Celestina 
and Lady Bornwell in The Lady of Pleasure. 

5 There is a somewhat remote analogue in The Humorous Lieu- 
tenant, IV, 8 (see under Hyde Park, V, 2). 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SHIRLEY 'S PLAYS 63 

The discussion of the leading motives of Shirley's 
plays might be continued indefinitely. It seems wisest, 
however, to halt at this point, after dwelling on some of 
their most striking characteristics, negative as well as posi- 
tive, and to proceed in the following chapter to the con- 
sideration of the chief dramatic conventions which are met 
with in the plays. 



CHAPTER IV 

THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC., OP 
SHIRLEY'S PLAYS 

In the preceding chapter, various leading motives and 
situations of Shirley's plays have been discussed. Cer- 
tain of the points of contact between them, and the Fletch- 
erian group have been pointed out, such as the courtly set- 
ting, the preference for scenes from high life, the lack of 
definite connection of character and action with the life of 
the city, the use of surprises, and so on. In the present 
chapter many of the less important details of the plays will 
be considered with a view to showing their frequent use 
by Shirley himself and their true sources, — not in single 
plays but in many. In other words, the conventionalized 
elements which occur most frequently will be catalogued 
with their analogues in a roughly chronological order. 1 

i It should be explained that in the lists of Shirley's plays given 
in the present chapter and in the later ones the various tragedies, 
tragicomedies, etc., are grouped together and arranged in chrono- 
logical order. The plays which, with or without reason, have been 
assigned to Shirley at one time or another, are also throughout the 
book arranged in chronological order. In the various lists of 
analogues, etc., the plays of each author are grouped together in 
approximately the order of production. Anonymous plays are in- 
serted in their proper places among the various groups. For the 
dates of Beaumont and Fletcher's dramas, Thorndike, The Influence 
of Beaumont and Fletcher on Shakespeare, pp. 92-93, is the author- 
ity, while for the dates of the plays of the other dramatists, 
save Shirley, Schelling's List of Plays, Eliz. Dram., II, 538 ff. 
is the basis. The respective years of production which accompany 

64 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 65 

A. Stock Incidents, Etc. 

1. Women offer or confess their affection in word or act 
to the men whom they love without any advances or solicita- 
tion on the part of the latter in Shirley's Doubtful Heir, 
II, 4, The Arcadia, II, 1, The Coronation, I, 1, II, 3, III, 

2, Love in a Maze, IV, 3. Cf. also The Example, II, 1, 
The Lady of Pleasure, III, 3, IV, 1, and note Hyde Park, 
V, 1, The Laws of Candy, III, 3, Captain Underwit, V, 1. 

Cf. Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes, p. 511, The Ar- 
raignment of Paris, III, 2, Dido, Queen of Carthage, III, 
4, IV, 2, The Birth of Merlin, III, 6, A Shoemaker a Gen- 
tleman, II, 3, A New Wonder : A Woman Never Vexed, II, 

I, The Silver Age, I, 1, The Four Prentices of London, p. 
77, The Fair Maid of the Exchange, pp. 31-32, 66, The 
Trial of Chivalry, I, 3, Jack Drum's Entertainment, IV, 
The Insatiate Countess, II, III, Every Woman in her Hu- 
mor, II, 1, The Lovesick King, II, Northward Ho, IV, 1, 
The White Devil, V, 1, The Duchess of Main, I, 1, V, 2, 
A Cure for a Cuckold, IV, 2, The Isle of Gulls, II, 3, The 
Revenger's Tragedy, I, 2, All's Well that Ends Well, II, 

3, Othello, I, 3 (reported), The Queen's Arcadia, V, 1, 
Monsieur Thomas, III, 1, Philaster, I, 2, Cupid's Ee- 
venge, I, 3, III, 2, The Captain, V, 4, The Hon- 
est Man's Fortune, IV, 1, V, 3, The Custom of the 
Country, III, 3, The Double Marriage, II, 3, The Sea 
Voyage, IV, 2, The Spanish Curate, V, 1, The Maid 
in the Mill, I, 3, The Fair Maid of the Inn, IV, 1, Bartholo- 
mew Fair, V, 2, The Hector of Germany, V, 4 (reported), 
More Dissemblers besides Women, IV, 2, The Partial Law, 

II, 1, The Maid of Honor, IV, 4, The Renegado, II, 4, The 

certain plays are meant to call attention to the fact that they are 
contemporary with Shirley's dramas. All listed pieces after 1625 
are not so distinguished, however. 



66 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Koman Actor, IV, 2, The Picture, III, 5, The Deserving 
Favorite, III, 1, The Fool Would Be a Favorite, III, V 
(1638), Love's Sacrifice, I, 1, 2, II, 4, Covent Garden, I, 
6, Hannibal and Scipio, I, 2, Love Crowns the End, p. 15, 
The Swisser, V, 3, The Costly Whore, IV, 3, The Ladies' 
Privilege, IV, The Shepherds' Holiday, II, 5. 

2. Pretended love is disclosed to men or to masquerading 
women in The Doubtful Heir, IV, 2, The Lady of Pleas- 
ure, IV, 3, and The Constant Maid, I, 1. 

Cf. The Spanish Gipsy, IV, 1, Albovine, III, 1, Believe 
as You List, IV, 2, The Court Beggar, II, 1, Tottenham 
Court, IV, 3, A Challenge for Beauty, IV, 1. Cf. De- 
loney's Jack of Newberry, Chap. I. 

3. The making of love by one person on behalf of an- 
other is found in several of Shirley's plays. A lover may 
appoint a friend to address his mistress for him, or a lady 
may deputize a person to advance her cause with the object 
of her affections. Occasionally, the love-agent acts on his 
own initiative. Courtship by proxy occurs in Love's 
Cruelty, II, 2, IV, 2, The Royal Master, II, 1, The Arcadia, 
II, 1, The Sisters, III, 2, Love in a Maze, III, 2, The 
Example, I, 1. Note also The Traitor, II, 1, The Arcadia, 
1, 2, The Faithful Friends, II, 2, and see Section 5 fol- 
lowing for a variation upon the incident. 

Cf. Fair Em, III, 1, James IV, II, 1, Edward III, II, 

I, The Trial of Chivalry, I, 3, Every Woman in her Hu- 
mor, II, 1, Englishmen for my Money, I, 1, Henry VI, 
Part I, V, 3, The Merry Wives of Windsor, II, 2 (pre- 
tended), As You Like It, III, 5, Much Ado about Nothing, 

II, 1 (reported), The Death of Robert, Earl of Hunting- 
ton, V, 1, Satiromastix, p. 219, The Fawn, I, 2, The Fair 
Maid of the West, Part II, V, 1, A Challenge for Beauty, 
IV, 1 (1635), The Lovesick King, II, Monsieur D 'Olive, 

III, 1, The Queen's Arcadia, II, 2, The Turk, I, 2 (pre- 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 



67 



tended), A Wife for a Month, I, 1, All's Lost by Lust, II, 
1, Appius and Virginia, II, 1, The Lovesick Court, II, 1, 
Love's Sacrifice, I, 1, The Ordinary, III, 3 (1634), The 
Parson's Wedding, II, 2 (1635), The Combat of Love and 
Friendship, II, 2 (1636). 

4. The renunciation by a lover of his mistress or vice- 
versa, accomplished or attempted, is found in The Traitor, 
I, 1, II, 2, IV, 2, The Doubtful Heir, III, 1, IV, 1, The 
Court Secret, III, 3, V, 2, The Grateful Servant, IV, 2, 
Love in a Maze, II, 2, The Gamester, IV, 2, The Constant 
Maid, IV, 2, Honoria and Mammon, V, 2. Cf. The Car- 
dinal, II, 3. Renunciatory love which has as its aim the 
profit or advancement of its object is not unlike "heroic 
love, ' ' but it does not involve the fate of dynasties or king- 
doms, and is heroic in that it involves a violent struggle 
between selfishness and magnanimity in the lover's heart. 

Cf. Campaspe, V, 4, Captain Thomas Stukeley, p. 161, 
Soliman and Perseda, IV, 1, Pair Em, I, 1, Friar Bacon and 
Friar Bungay, p. 166, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, V, 4, 
Edward IV, Part II, p. 130, The Fair Maid of the Ex- 
change, p. 64, Every Woman in her Humor, III, 1, Mon- 
sieur Thomas, II, 5, The Mad Lover, V, 4, The Double Mar- 
riage, III, 3, The Maid of Honor, V, 2, The Bashful Lover, 
V, 2, The Lovesick Court, II, 1, Davenant's Siege, V, The 
Deserving Favorite, I, 1, The Fool Would Be a Favorite, 
IV (1638), Randolph's Amyntas, IV, 9, The Queen of 
Arragon, V, 1 (1640). For a pretended renunciation, see 
The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington, I, 3. 

5. Closely related to the subjects of the two preceding 
sections is the acting as a love-agent or messenger between 
two persons by a rival of one or the other. It may be, 
however, that the agent's love-affairs are only indirectly 
affected by his (or her) acting as a proxy. For examples, 
see The Grateful Servant, II, 2, The Sisters, III, 2, Love 



68 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

in a Maze, II, 1, The Laws of Candy, III, 3, Phillis of 
Scyros, II, 3. Note here and in the analogues following 
how this character overlaps the renunciatory lover. 

Cf. Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, p. 165 (reported), 
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, IV, 4, Twelfth Night, I, 
4, The Fair Maid of the West, Part II, V, 1, Hymen's 
Triumph, II, 4 (reported), The Sea Voyage, IV, 2, The 
Maid of Honor, III, 3, The Partial Law, I, 3, The Ladies' 
Privilege, I (1635). Note also Montemayor's Diana, Bk. 
II (the story of Felismena). 

6. A pretense of love shown by one person for another 
with the intention of deceiving, perhaps, not only the char- 
acter towards whom the affection is simulated, but also 
some eavesdropper, or a personage already on the stage, is 
found in The Maid's Revenge, II, 2, The Cardinal, I, 2, 
The Brothers, II, 1, The Arcadia, I, 2, II, 1, The Witty 
Fair One, IV, 2, Love in a Maze, III, 1, V, 1. 

Cf. Endymion, II, 1, Mother Bombie, II, 3, The Jew 
of Malta, II, 2, The Taming of the Shrew, II, 1, Wit at 
Several Weapons, III, 1, IV, 2, The Roaring Girl, I, 1, 
II, 2, Women Beware Women (Isabella for the Ward), 
More Dissemblers besides Women, II, 1, III, 2, A Fine 
Companion, III, 5, The Fool Would Be a Favorite, I (1638) 
(a lady, surprised with her lover, pretends to repulse him, 
thus reversing the incident). 

7. The comic situation of a man making love in all 
seriousness to another man who is disguised as a woman, 
or whom he mistakes for a woman, is utilized in Love 
Tricks, IV, 1, V, 1, 3, The Arcadia, II, 1, etc., Love in a 
Maze, III, 1, etc., The Noble Gentleman, IV, 3, 5, The 
Nightwalker, II, 2. In Love Tricks and Love in a Maze, 
a gull marries the supposed woman. 

Cf. The Wars of Cyrus, II, George-a-Greene, p. 268, 
The Merry Wives of Windsor, V, 5, The Two Angry Women 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 69 

of Abington, IY, 3, Englishmen for My Money, Y, 2, What 
You Will, Y, 1, The Wise Woman of Hogsdon, III, 1, Y, 
4 (a girl disguised as a boy and redisguised as a girl), 
The Isle of Gulls, II, 3, etc., Epiccene, II, 3, etc., The New 
Inn, Y, 1 (an apparent boy disguised as a girl who proves 
indeed to be a girl), Amends for Ladies, Y, 2, Monsieur 
Thomas, Y, 3, The Loyal Subject, III, 3, The Humorous 
Lieutenant, IY, 4, 6, Y, 2 (effects of a love-potion), The 
City Wit, Y, The Hollander, Y, 1 (1633). 

8. The lady who falls in love with another lady who 
is disguised as a man (a reversal of the situation treated 
in Section 7) figures in The Sisters, IY, 4, and No Wit, No 
Help Like a Woman's, Y, 1. In the Doubtful Heir, III, 
1, IY, 2, Olivia pretends love for Rosania who is disguised 
as a page. 

Cf. Gallathea, II, 1, III, 1, etc., James IY, Y, 1, 5, 
As You Like It, III, 5, Twelfth Night, I, 5, III, 1, A Chris- 
tian Turned Turk, p. 239 (reported), Hymen's Triumph, 
I, 4, The Widow, III, etc., The Lover's Melancholy, I, 3, II, 
1, III, 2, Love's Riddle, II, 1 (1635), A Mad Couple Well 
Matched, II, 1 (1636), The Antiquary, IY, 1 (1635). A 
woman pretends love for a woman in a masculine disguise 
in Anything for a Quiet Life, III, 1. 

9. Attempts at seduction which are indignantly resisted 
by the woman, often with one or more set speeches in praise 
of chastity, were popular with Shirley, as noted in a pre- 
ceding chapter. Defenses of chastity resulting from the 
advances of male characters occur in The Traitor, III, 3, 
Love's Cruelty, II, 2, IY, 2, The Politician, I, 1, The Car- 
dinal, Y, 3 (preliminary to an attempted rape), The Young 
Admiral, IY, 3, The Duke's Mistress, III, 3, IY, 1, Y, 1, 
St. Patrick for Ireland, II, 1, The Grateful Servant, Y, 1, 
Hyde Park, Y, 1, The Lady of Pleasure, Y, 1, The Faith- 
ful Friends, II, 2, IY, 4. In The Royal Master, Y, 2, is a 



pretended attempt at seduction and in The Gamester, I, 

I, III, 1, is a pretense by a lady of yielding to the solicita- 
tions of a man. Cf. The Wedding, V, 2. 

Cf. The Wars of Cyrus, II, James IV, II, 1, Henry VI, 
Part III, III, 2, Measure for Measure, II, 4, Pericles, IV, 
6, Cymbeline, I, 6, Edward III, II, 1, 2, George-a-Greene, 
p. 257, Lust's Dominion, III, 2, V, 3, Grim, the Collier of 
Croydon, IV, 1, The Death of Robert, Earl of Huntington, 
V, 1, The Case is Altered, V, 3, Volpone, III, 6, Catiline, 

II, 1, The Mayor of Queenborough, III, 2, A Fair Quarrel, 

III, 2, A Game at Chess, II, 1, The Weakest Goeth to the 
Wall, I, 3, The Blind Beggar of Bednal Green, IV, 2, Law 
Tricks, III, 2, How a Man May Choose a Good Wife from 
a Bad, p. 39, The Wise Woman of Hogsdon, I, 2, The 
Honest Whore, Part II, IV, 1, The Witch of Edmonton, 
I, 1, Match Me in London, II, The Atheist's Tragedy, IV, 3, 
The Revenger's Tragedy, II, 1, Westward Ho, II, 2, Appius 
and Virginia, II, 1, Amends for Ladies, IV, 1, V, 1, The 
Triumph of Honor, Sc. 2, The Coxcomb, III, 3, Valentinian, 

I, 1 (reported), 2, II, 6, The Loyal Subject, IV, 3, The 
Knight of Malta, I, 1 (reported), III, 4, The Humorous 
Lieutenant, IV, 1, 5, The Custom of the Country, III, 5, 
The Little French Lawyer, III, 3, V, 1, The Maid in the 
Mill, III, 3, The Fair Maid of the Inn, III, 1, A Wife for 
a Month, I, 1, Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, V, 5, The 
Second Maiden's Tragedy, I, 2, The Poor Man's Comfort, 

II, IV, The Hector of Germany, IV, 5, V, 3, All's Lost by 
Lust, II, 1, The Heir, IV, The Duke of Milan, II, 1, The 
Parliament of Love, II, 3, Believe as You List, V, 2 (re- 
ported), The Bashful Lover, III, 3, The City Nightcap, 
I, 1, IV, 1, Love's Sacrifice, II, 1, 3, The Fancies Chaste 
and Noble, III, 3, The Lady's Trial, II, 4 (1638), The 
Swisser, III, 3 (1631), Holland's Leaguer, III, 4 (1632), 
A Fine Companion, II, 1 (1633), The Jealous Lovers, III, 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 71 

10 (1632), Albertus Wallenstein, I, 3, III, 3 (1634-38), 
Osmond, the Great Turk, II (1638), The Distresses, I, 1 
(1639?), The Queen of Arragon, IV, 1 (1640), The Dis- 
tracted State, II, 1 (1641). 

Pretended defenses of virtue occur in The Second 
Maiden's Tragedy, V, 1, and The City Nightcap, II, 1. 
Pretenses of yielding to the solicitations of a man are found 
in All's Well that Ends Well, IV, 2, Measure for Measure, 

IV, 1 (reported), The Little French Lawyer, V, 1. 

10. More or less wicked characters, usually men of a 
loose manner of living, announce their penitence for their 
past misdeeds and their intention of reforming in Love's 
Cruelty, II, 2, IV, 2, The Duke's Mistress, V, 4, The Gen- 
tleman of Venice, V, 2, 4, The Grateful Servant, V, 1, 2, 
The Arcadia, IV, 3, The Witty Fair One, V, 3, Hyde Park, 

V, 1, The Gamester, V, 2, The Example, III, 1, The Lady 
of Pleasure, V, 1, Honoria and Mammon, V, 2, A York- 
shire Tragedy, Scs. 4, 10, Love's Pilgrimage, IV, 3, Chabot, 
V, 2, Captain Underwit, V, 4. A penitence which is only 
temporary occurs in The Traitor, III, 3, and pretended 
conversions in The Cardinal, V, 3, and The Imposture, 
II, 1. 

Cf. Damon and Pythias, p. 98, A Looking-glass for 
London, James IV, V, 6, The Wars of Cyrus, II, III, Ed- 
ward I, p. 409 ff., Look About You, Sc. 33, The Two Gen- 
tlemen of Verona, V, 4, Richard II, V, 3, Henry IV, Part 

II, V, 2, As You Like It, V, 4, Measure for Measure, V, 1, 
Pericles, IV, 5, 6, Cymbeline, V, 5, The Winter's Tale, V, 
1, 3, Edward IV, Part II, p. 165, The Iron Age, Part II, 

III, 1, The Fair Maid of the West, Part II, III, 1, A 
Woman Killed with Kindness, I, 3, IV, 6, The Wise Woman 
of Hogsdon, V, 4, The Case is Altered, V, 4, Every Man 
out of his Humor, III, 2, The Staple of News, V, 2, How 
a Man May Choose a Good Wife from a Bad, p. 74, A 



72 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Warning for Fair Women, II (p. 325 ff.), The Downfall of 
Robert, Earl of Huntington, V, 1, The Death of Robert, 
Earl of Huntington, I, 3, III, 4, V, 1, 2, The Malcontent, 
IV, 5, Eastward Ho, V, 1, The Thracian Wonder, III, 2, 
The Revenger 's Tragedy, IV, 4, The London Prodigal, V, 1, 
The Old Law, V, 1, The Honest Whore, Part I, II, 1, V, 2, 
Westward Ho, IV, 2, The Witch of Edmonton, I, 1, V, 2, 
Match Me in London, V, The Gentleman Usher, V, 1, A 
Mad World, My Masters, IV, 4, A Chaste Maid in Cheap- 
side, V, 1, A Trick to Catch the Old One, V, 2, The Witch, 
IV, 2, V, 3, The Widow, III, 2, The Spanish Gipsy, I, 3, 
Women Beware Women, V, 1, Amends for Ladies, V, 1, 
The Triumph of Honor, Sc. 4, The Coxcomb, V, 2, The 
Maid's Tragedy, IV, 1, The Captain, V, 1 (reported), The 
Honest Man's Fortune, IV, 2, The Bloody Brother, V, 1, 
The Queen of Corinth, IV, 4, V, 4, The Loyal Subject, IV, 
3, V, 7, The Knight of Malta, III, 4, The Humorous Lieu- 
tenant, IV, 5, The Custom of the Country, III, 5, The Little 
French Lawyer, V, 1, The Pilgrim, IV, 2, The Prophetess, 

IV, 2, V, 3, The Spanish Curate, V, 2 (sic; 3 in reality), 
A Wife for a Month, V, 3, Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, 

V, 3, 5, The Miseries of Enforced Marriage, V, The Hog 
hath Lost his Pearl, I, 1, The Second Maiden's Tragedy, 

II, 1, The Duchess of Main, IV, 2, A Match at Midnight, 
V, 1, The Fatal Dowry, IV, 4, The City Madam, V, 3, The 
Duke of Milan, III, 3, The Maid of Honor, V, 2, The Par- 
liament of Love, V, 1, The Renegado, IV, 1, The Picture, 
IV, 4, Believe as You List, V, 2 (reported), The Guardian, 

III, 6, A Very Woman, III, 3, The Bashful Lover, IV, 2, 
The Bloody Banquet, IV, 3, The Old Couple, IV, V, Love's 
Sacrifice, II, 4, V, 2, The Lady's Trial, V, 1 (1638), The 
Swisser, IV, 2 (1631), Holland's Leaguer, III, 4 (1632), 
Albertus Wallenstein, I, 3, III, 3 (1634-38), The Lady 
Mother, V, 2 (1635), The Hollander, V, 1, (1635), The 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 73 

Costly Whore, V, 1 (1633), News from Plymouth, V, The 
Fair Favorite, V, 1, The Queen, V, The Conspiracy, IV, 1, 
V, 1, Messallina, II, 1 (1637), The Noble Stranger, V 
(1638). 

A temporary penitence occurs in Edward III, II, 2, but 
a second conversion takes place (II, 2) ; see also The False 
One, IV, 3. For pretended repentances, see The Insatiate 
Countess, III, The Double Marriage, I, 2, A Wife for a 
Month, IV, 1, The Late Lancashire Witches, IV, 1. 

11. In The Maid's Revenge, V, 3, and St. Patrick for 
Ireland, III, 1, characters die from poisoning in agonies 
which are expressed through their exclamations and out- 
cries (in the latter play the character is revived by a 
miracle). 

Cf. Henry VI, Part II, III, 2, 3 (not directly repre- 
sented), King John, V, 7, The Jew of Malta, V, 1, The 
Massacre at Paris, I, 3, The Brazen Age, p. 248 ff., The 
Revenger's Tragedy, III, 4, Lingua, V, 15, The Devil's 
Charter, IV, 3, V, 4, Thierry and Theodoret, V, 2, Valen- 
tinian, V, 1, 2, A Wife for a Month, IV, 4 (the character 
finally recovers), The White Devil, V, 3, The Duke of 
Milan, V, 2, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, IV, 1, Love's Sacri- 
fice, V, 3, The Distracted State, IV, 1 (1641). Cf. the pre- 
tended sufferings from poisoning in Alphonsus, Emperor 
of Germany, IV, 2, and note Otho and the burning crown, 
Hoffman, I. 

12. Comparatively peaceful deaths from poison are 
found in The Politician, V, 2, and The Cardinal, V, 3. 
There is, at least, little or no direct indication of pain in 
the lines of the dying character. 

Cf . . Romeo and Juliet, V, 3, Hamlet, V, 2, King Lear, 
V, 3, The Death of Robert, Earl of Huntington, I, 3, V, 1, 
Bonduca, IV, 4, Valentinian, V, 8, The Duchess of Malfi, 
V, 2, The Bloody Banquet, V, 1, Women Beware Women, 



74 

V, 1, The Lost Lady, V, 1 (1637?) (supposedly poisoned). 

13. What is considered poison or as producing death 
but which proves really to be a sleeping-draught is em- 
ployed in The Arcadia, IV, 3, and The Bird in a Cage, V, 1. 

Cf. Romeo and Juliet, V, 3, Cymbeline, IV, 2, How a 
Man May Choose a Good Wife from a Bad, p. 59, Satiro- 
mastix, p. 255, Match Me in London, III, The Fair Maid 
of Bristow, IV, 3, The Fleire, V, The Puritan, IV, 3, The 
Turk, II, 1, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, IV, 4, The 
Triumph of Love, Sc. 8, The Knight of Malta, IV, 2, A 
Chaste Maid in Cheapside, V, 4, The Lovesick Court, V, 3, 
The Swisser, V, 3 (1631), The Costly Whore, V, 1, The 
Shepherds' Holiday, V, 2 (1634), Cartwright's Siege, V, 
4 (1637). Some additions are made to this list by Adams, 
Introduction to The Turk, p. xx. 

14. For the sake usually of providing an appropriate 
setting for a serious and romantic or sentimental action 
Shirley has laid the following scenes in prisons: The 
Doubtful Heir, II, 3, V, 2, The Court Secret, II, 4, V, 2, 
The Arcadia, V, 1, The Example, IV, 3 (an undersheriff 's 
house), The Gamester, IV, 2, Honoria and Mammon, V, 2. 
The Court Secret, V, 1, as well as The Arcadia, V, 1, is 
more or less comic. Also Dick of Devonshire, III, 2, IV, 2, 
is laid in a prison. 

Cf. Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes, p. 507, Tambur- 
laine, Part II, I, 2, Edward II, V, 5, Lust's Dominion, V, 
4, 5, Henry VI, Part I, II, 5, Part III, IV, 6, V, 6, King 
John, IV, 1, Richard III, I, 4, Richard II, V, 5, Much Ado 
about Nothing, IV, 2, Twelfth Night, IV, 2, Measure for 
Measure, II, 3, III, 1, IV, 2, 3, Cymbeline, V, 4, The Win- 
ter's Tale, II, 2, Sir Thomas More, IV, 4, V, 3, The 
Wounds of Civil War, III, 2, Thomas, Lord Cromwell, V, 5, 
Antonio's Revenge, V, 2, Sir Thomas Wyat, pp. 36, 56 ff., 
The Honest Whore, Part II, V, 2, The Atheist's Tragedy. 



75 

III, 3, The Revenger's Tragedy, III, 2, 3, A Woman Killed 
with Kindness, IV, 2, If You Know Not Me, You Know 
Nobody, Part I, p. 210 ff., The Puritan, I, 4, etc., The 
Travails of the Three English Brothers, p. 75, Humor out 
of Breath, IV, 3, Byron's Tragedy, V, 1, The Dumb Knight, 
V, 1, Greene's Tu Quoque, p. 563, The Fleire, V, Philaster, 
V, 2, A King and No King, IV, 2, V, 2, The Two Noble 
Kinsmen, II, 1, Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt, III, 4, 6, 
The Double Marriage, II, 3, The Island Princess, II, 1, 
The Devil is an Ass, V, 4, The Maid of Honor, IV, 3, The 
Bondman, V, 2, The Renegado, IV, 3, V, 1, 6, 7, Believe as 
You List, IV, 2, A Very Woman, V, 5, Appius and Vir- 
ginia, V, 3, The City Nightcap, V, 1, The Martyred Soldier, 
II, 3, III, 2, 3, A New Wonder: A Woman Never Vexed, 

IV, 1, V, 1, The Queen's Exchange, V, 1, The Queen and 
Concubine, II, 6, The Costly Whore, IV, 3, The Ladies' 
Privilege, III, The Royal Slave, I, 1, The Goblins, III, 3, 

IV, 2, V, 4, Brennoralt, I, 4, II, 1 (1639), The Sad One, 

I, 1 (1640), Trapolin Supposed a Prince, III, 1, IV, 2, 

V, 2, 5. 

15. The test or trial of various qualities such as love 
or chastity is found in The Traitor, II, 1, The Court Secret, 

II, 1, The Brothers, V, 3, The Humorous Courtier, The Bird 
in a Cage, IV, 2, Love in a Maze, III, 3, Hyde Park, V, 2, 
The Gamester, II, 1, V, 2, The Example, IV, 1, The Lady 
of Pleasure, IV, 3, The Constant Maid, III, 4, IV, 2, 
Honoria and Mammon, I, 2, II, 2, The Faithful Friends, 
II, 2, IV, 4, The Ball, IV, 3, Chabot, II, 2 (reported). 
Shirley's trials usually consist of the broaching of some 
proposition to a character in order to see how he receives 
it, and thereby to estimate his, or her, love, virtue, etc. 
The test may introduce additional complications into the 
plot and also furnish a surprise, as in The Brothers, or 
supply a comic scene or two, as in The Example (where it 



76 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

is not far from the pretended test). The entire Humorous 
Courtier is a test of general uprightness. 

Cf. Campaspe, V, 4, The Woman in the Moon, II, 1, 
etc., The Old Wives' Tale, p. 458, Captain Thomas Stuke- 
ley, p. 244, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, p. 177, Look 
About You, Sc. 10, The Iron Age, Part II, I, 1, The Royal 
King and Loyal Subject, I, 1, etc., Love's Mistress, I, 1, 
etc. (1634), A Challenge for Beauty, III, 1, V, 1 (1635), 
The Taming of the Shrew, V, 2, All's Well that Ends 
Well, IV, 3, Hamlet, III, 2, King Lear, I, 1, Macbeth, 
IV, 3, Timon of Athens, How a Man May Choose a Good 
Wife from a Bad, p. 24, An Humorous Day's Mirth, pp. 
27, 30, The Widow's Tears, IV, V, The Downfall of Robert, 
Earl of Huntington, II, 1, The Virtuous Octavia, III, 1, 
The Old Law, V, 1, Satiromastix, p. 255, Match Me in 
London, III, V, Blurt, Master-Constable, V, 3, Michaelmas 
Term, V, The Roaring Girl, IV, 2, A Fair Quarrel, II, 1, 
The Widow, III, 2, V, 1, The Revenger's Tragedy, II, 1, 

IV, 4, The London Prodigal, I, etc., The Dutch Courtesan, 

V, 1, Westward Ho, II, 3, The White Devil, V, 6, A Cure 
for a Cuckold, I, 2, Law Tricks, I, 2, The Travails of 
Three English Brothers, p. 74, The Dumb Knight, II, 1, 
Greene's Tu Quoque, p. 570, The Woman Hater, V, 5, 
Thierry and Theodoret, II, 2, The Knight of the Burning 
Pestle, III, 1, The Maid's Tragedy, II, 1, The Honest 
Man's Fortune, I, 3, The Loyal Subject, III, 6, The Knight 
of Malta, III, 4, The Custom of the Country, I, 1, Women 
Pleased, V, 2, The Spanish Curate, V, 2 (sic; 3 in reality), 
The Second Maiden's Tragedy, I, 2, The City Madam, V, 3, 
The Duke of Milan, I, 3, The Emperor of the East, III, 4 
(a test in name), The City Nightcap, I, 1, III, 1, The Just 
Italian, V, 1, The Deserving Favorite, II, 1, V, 1, Osmond, 
the Great Turk, I (1638), The Noble Soldier, II, 2, III, 3 
(1631), A New Wonder: A Woman Never Vexed, IV, 1, 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHABACTERS, ETC. 77 

The Jealous Lovers, II, 10, III, 10, IV, 8, Covent Garden, 
V, 3 (1632), Tottenham Court, IV, 3 (1633), Microcosmus, 
V (1634), The Queen, IV, The Novella, IV, 1 (1632), The 
Costly Whore, V, 1, The Hollander, V, 1, The Ladies' 
Privilege, V (1635), The Lady Mother, III, 1 (1635), The 
Combat of Love and Friendship, II, 4, V, 4 (1636), The 
Lost Lady, IV, 1 (1637), Messallina, I, 1, III, 1 (1637), 
The Amorous War, V, 7, 8 (1639), Imperiale, III, 2. See 
also under The Humorous Courtier. In Cymbeline, I, 4, a 
trial of virtue is set under way which is later complicated 
with a pretended test (see Sect. 16). 

16. Sometimes a character admits that what has passed 
for a test has not been one in reality, and perhaps more 
frequently the excuse offered for performing some action 
is that it has been a test or trial of some quality. 2 These 
pretended tests occur in The Traitor, III, 3, The Court 
Secret, I, 1, III, 3, The Arcadia, IV, 3, The Gamester, V, 2, 
The Example, III, 1, The Ball, III, 4, No Wit, No Help 
Like a Woman's, V, 1. 

Cf. Captain Thomas Stukeley, p. 231, Lust's Dominion, 
I, 1, V, 3, Every Man in his Humor, III, 2, Sir Giles 
Goosecap, III, 1, Measure for Measure, III, 1, Cymbeline, 
I, 6, Henry VIII, V, 3, Fortune by Land and Sea, III, 4 
(sic; 2 in reality), Your Five Gallants, II, 1, The Widow, 
I, 2, Law Tricks, III, 2, V, The Second Maiden's Tragedy, 
I, 1, Valentinian, II, 6, The Island Princess, IV, 2, The 
Picture, IV, 3, The Deserving Favorite, IV, 1, The New 
Academy, V, 1. 

17. Trials in courts of various sorts figure in The Doubt- 
ful Heir, II, 4, The Arcadia, V, 2, The Wedding, V, 2, 
The Gamester, V, 2, The Constant Maid, V, 3, The Laws 

2 The distinction between the real and pretended test is a very fine 
one. This should be borne in mind in connection with this con- 
vention. 



78 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

of Candy, I, 2, Dick of Devonshire, II, 5, IV, 3, V, 1, The 
Lovers' Progress, V, 3, Chabot, III, 2, V, 2, The Variety, 
V, 1. The trials, which are generally utilized for the de- 
livery of one or more set speeches, range from courts in 
which the judge is a sovereign, as in The Doubtful Heir, 
down to hearings before a justice of the peace, as in The 
Wedding. In several of the plays mentioned above, com- 
plications are disentangled during the progress of the trial. 
For the mock trial, see under The Traitor, III, 1. 

Cf. Gammer Gurton's Needle, V, 2, The Arraignment 
of Paris, IV, 1, The Spanish Tragedy, III, 6, Soliman and 
Perseda, V, 2, The Comedy of Errors, I, 1, Henry VI, Part 
II, I, 3, II, 3, Richard II, I, 1, The Merchant of Venice, 

IV, 1, Much Ado About Nothing, IV, 2, Measure for Meas- 
ure, II, 1, V, 1, Othello, I, 3, Timon of Athens, III, 5, 
Coriolanus, III, 3, The Winter's Tale, III, 3, Henry VIII, 
II, 4, A Warning for Fair Women, II (p. 315), The Iron 
Age, Part I, V, 1, If You Know Not Me, You Know No- 
body, Part II, p. 205 ff., The Royal King and Loyal Subject, 

V, 1, Every Man in his Humor, V, 1, Sejanus, III, 1, Vol- 
pone, IV, 2, V, 6, 8, Catiline, V, 6, The Old Law, V, 1, If 
This be Not a Good Play, the Devil Is in It, p. 314 ff., How 
a Man May Choose a Good Wife from a Bad, p. 78, Sir John 
Oldcastle, V, 10, The Weakest Goeth to the Wall, V, 3, 
Antonio's Revenge, IV, 2, 3, The Fawn, V, Eastward Ho, 

IV, 1, The Insatiate Countess, IV, Sir Thomas Wyat, p. 
51 ff., The White Devil, III, 1, The Devil's Law-case, IV, 2, 
Appius and Virginia, IV, 1, The Atheist's Tragedy, V, 2, 
The Revenger's Tragedy, I, 2, The Fair Maid of Bristow, 

V, 1, The Phoenix, III, 1, Michaelmas Term, V, 3, Byron's 
Tragedy, V, 1, Philotas, IV, 2, The Fleire, V, The Woman 
Hater, V, 1, Love's Cure, V, 3, Philaster, V, 2, 3, The Cox- 
comb, V, 3, The Beggar's Bush, III, 3 (comic), The Bloody 
Brother, III, 2, The Queen of Corinth, V, 4, The Knight of 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 79 

Malta, V, 2, Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt, III, 4, 6, IV, 5, 
V, 1, Women Pleased, II, 5, The Spanish Curate, III, 3, The 
Fair Maid of the Inn, III, 2, Ram Alley, V, 1, The Poor 
Man's Comfort, III, V, The Fatal Dowry, I, 2, The Un- 
natural Combat, I, 1, The Bondman, V, 3, The Renegado, 
IV, 2, The Parliament of Love, V, 1, The Roman Actor, 

I, 3, The Great Duke of Florence, V, 3, Believe as You List, 

II, 2, The City Nightcap, II, 1, III, 1, The Queen's Ex- 
change, V, 1, The Queen and Concubine, I, 9 (reported), 
II, 1, The Antipodes, III, 6, 7 (1638), The Ladies' Privi- 
lege, IV, The Lady Mother, V, 2, The Goblins, V, 5, Tra- 
polin Supposed a Prince, I, 2, Imperiale, III, 6. 

18. Masques or entertainments are presented more or 
less elaborately in Love Tricks, V, 3, The Maid's Revenge, 

IV, 3, The Traitor, III, 2, The Cardinal, III, 2, The Ar- 
cadia, I, 3, The Coronation, IV, 3, Love in a Maze, V, 5, 
Hyde Park, V, 2, The Constant Maid, IV, 3, The Faithful 
Friends, IV, 3, The Nice Valor, II, 1, The Ball, V, 1, No 
Wit, No Help like a Woman's, IV, 2. Some elements of 
the antimasque are found in The Grateful Servant, IV, 4. 

Cf. The Spanish Tragedy, I, 3, Doctor Faustus, II, 2 
(the seven deadly sins), Love's Labor's Lost, V, 2, A Mid- 
summer Night's Dream, V, 1, Timon of Athens, I, 2, The 
Winter's Tale, IV, 4, The Tempest, IV, 1, Henry VIII, I, 4, 
The Golden Age, II, 1, An Humorous Day's Mirth, 
p. 43, May-Day, V, 1, The Widow's Tears, III, 2, The 
Gentleman Usher, I, 1, II, 1, Every Woman in her 
Humor, V, 1, The Death of Robert, Earl of Huntington, 
II, 2, Satiromastix, p. 253, The Whore of Babylon, p. 
204, The Sun's Darling, II, 1, V, 1, The Wonder 
of a Kingdom, IV, 1, Blurt, Master-Constable, II, 2, Your 
Five Gallants, V, 2, The Changeling, IV, 3, Antonio 
and Mellida, V, Antonio's Revenge, V, 5, The Malcontent, 

V, 3, The Dutch Courtesan, IV, 1, Sophronisba, I, 1, The 



80 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Insatiate Countess, II, Histriomastix, III, 1, Cynthia's 
Revels, V, 3, The Revenger's Tragedy, V, 3, The Maid's 
Tragedy, I, 2, The Two Noble Kinsmen, I, 1, Valentinian, 
V, 8, The False One, III, 4, Women Pleased, V, 3, The 
Prophetess, V, 3, A Woman is a Weathercock, V, 2, The 
Duchess of Main, IV, 2, The Hector of Germany, V, 5, 
The City Madam, V, 3, The Picture, II, 2, The City Night- 
cap, IV, 1, Fuimus Troes, III, 7, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, 
IV, 1, Love's Sacrifice, III, 4, The Lover's Melancholy, 
III, 3, The Broken Heart, V, 2 (revels), Perkin Warbeck, 
III, 2, The Fancies Chaste and Noble, V, 3 (1635), The 
Costly Whore, II, 2, The Lady Mother, V, 2, Hannibal and 
Scipio, II, 5 (a sort of entertainment), The Floating Island, 

III, 4, The Royal Slave, V, 5, Cartwright's Siege, V, 8, 
Alphonsus, Emperor of Germany, III, 1, Messallina, V, 1 
(1637), The Obstinate Lady, IV, 3 (1638-39), Trapolin 
Supposed a Prince, II, 2, Osmond, the Great Turk, II 
(1638) (indicated by a stage direction), Imperiale, IV, 4, 
The Amorous War, III, 2 (1639). 

To the above may be added the following masques in 
which Cupid is a character (see under The Coronation, 

IV, 3) : The Fawn, V, Byron's Tragedy, I, 1, Women 
Beware Women, V, 1, More Dissemblers besides Women, I, 
3, The Maid in the Mill, II, 2, A Wife for a Month, II, 6, 
The Courageous Turk, I, 4, 5, The Court Beggar, V, 2, The 
Antipodes, V, 11. Cupid also figures in the masques in 
Cynthia's Revels, and Timon of Athens. 

19. A not uncommon incident in Shirley's comedies is 
the wit-combat between a young woman and the suitor 
whom she secretly favors, but whom she perversely delights 
in tormenting. The wit-combat is closely related to "jeer- 
ing" (see Section 20), into which it sometimes degenerates, 
as in Hyde Park. The only distinctions that can be drawn, 
and they are not infallible, are the facts that the partici- 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 81 

pants in the wit-combat meet on equal ground socially and 
mentally, and that furthermore the lady generally capitu- 
lates to her suitor and adversary at the end of the play. 
Also, the wit-combat often extends over several scenes, and 
even sometimes monopolizes one of the plots of a play. 3 
Shirley has matches of this sort in The Witty Fair One, 
Hyde Park, The Gamester, The Example, and The Lady 
of Pleasure. See also The Ball, and Captain Underwit. 

Cf. Love's Labor's Lost, As You Like It, Much Ado 
About Nothing, The Fair Maid of the Exchange, A Chal- 
lenge for Beauty (1635), Law Tricks, Humor out of 
Breath, The Woman 's Prize, Monsieur Thomas, The Scorn- 
ful Lady, The Captain, Wit Without Money, The Little 
French Lawyer, The Wild Goose Chase, Amends for Ladies, 
The Miseries of Enforced Marriage, All's Lost by Lust, A 
Cure for a Cuckold, The New Inn, The Lady Mother, A 
Mad Couple Well Matched, The Combat of Love and 
Friendship (1636), The Lost Lady (1637?), The Queen of 
Arragon (1640). 

20. "Jeering" is understood in this section as referring 
to a quarrel between two persons, usually of opposite 
sexes, in the course of which one character applies to the 
other a series of grotesque or scurrilous terms. Some- 
times both the parties to the conversation (for there are 
but two, usually) malign each other equally. When a lady 
takes part in such a scene she is usually the victor. As 
has been mentioned in Section 19, the wit-combat sometimes 
overlaps this grotesque and often brutal raillery. Shirley 
introduces passages of the sort described above in The 
Duke's Mistress, III, 2, IV, 1, V, 3, The Bird in a Cage, 
II, 1, III, 1, The Sisters, I, 2, II, 2, The Witty Fair One, 
IV, 4, Love in a Maze, IV, 2, Hyde Park, II, 4, III, 2, V, 1, 

3 Hence, it does not seem worth while to give references to act and 
scene. 



The Lady of Pleasure, III, 2. See also The Ball, I, 2, II, 3, 

III, 4, No Wit, No Help like a Woman's, IV, 2 (the 
masque), Captain Underwit, IV, 3, The Variety, III, 1, 

IV, 1. 

Cf. Lust's Dominion, V, 5, Richard III, I, 3, Henry IV, 
Part I, II, 4, Part II, II, 4, Much Ado about Nothing, I, 1, 
II, 1, Troilus and Cressida, II, 1, 3, III, 3, V, 1, King Lear, 
II, 2, Timon of Athens, I, 1, II, 2, IV, 3, Coriolanus, II, 1, 
The Iron Age, Part I, V, 1, The Fair Maid of the Exchange, 
p. 73, Jack Drum's Entertainment, IV, The Dutch Courte- 
san, IV, 1, Cynthia's Revels, IV, 1, Epicoene, III, 2, The 
Staple of News, II, 1, IV, 1, V, 2, Law Tricks, II, The 
Woman's Prize, IV, 3, Wit at Several Weapons, III, 1, 
IV, 2, The Woman Hater, II, 1, III, 1, Philaster, II, 2, 
The Scornful Lady, I, 1, III, 2, IV, 1, V, 1, The Captain, 
II, 2, III, 3, The Honest Man's Fortune, V, 3, Wit Without 
Money, IV, 4, 5, The Mad Lover, I, 1, The Humorous 
Lieutenant, IV, 5, The Little French Lawyer, III, 3, The 
Spanish Curate, V, 1, The Elder Brother, III, 5, IV, 4, 
A Trick to Catch the Old One, III, 4, The City Madam, 
II, 2, The Fatal Dowry, III, 1, The Duke of Milan, II, 1, 
The Renegado, III, 1, The Parliament of Love, II, 2, The 
Just Italian, III, 1, News from Plymouth, IV, V, The 
Queen, I, II, A Fine Companion, II, 4, The Ordinary, I, 2, 
The Lady Errant, I, 2, II, 2 (1635), The Royal Slave, II, 4 
(1636), Wit in a Constable, II, 1, IV, 1 (1639), The City 
Match, II, 3 (1639). The preceding list is not complete; 
only the more striking examples have been noted. 

21. The description of a character, not as an individual, 
but as a member of a class, occurs in a number of Shirley's 
plays. Sometimes the descriptions are long; sometimes 
they are no more than a line in length. Irrespective of 
length, however, such passages — which generally are used 
to exhibit the author's wit — are based originally on the 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 83 

popular character books of the early seventeenth century. 
Often the strong influence of this literary type is shown in 
the intrusion of the general type characteristics into what 
seems an attempt at a deliberately individual description 
of a personage. Shirley has utilized the methods of the 
character-books to a greater or less extent in Love Tricks, 
III, 5, The Politician, I, 1, The Sisters, IV, 2, The Wedding, 
I, 1, The Witty Fair One, I, 2, The Gamester, III, 3, The 
Example, I, 1, The Lady of Pleasure, I, 1, II, 2, III, 2, Hon- 
oria and Mammon, II, 2, Cupid and Death, pp. 349-50. 
See also The Faithful Friends, II, 2, The Nice Valor, I, 1, 
Dick of Devonshire, V, 1, Captain Underwit, I, 1, The 
Variety, I, 1, II, 1. 

Cf. Nobody and Somebody, p. 288, Every Woman in 
her Humor, III, 1, Cynthia's Revels, II, 1, III, 2, Epiccene, 

I, 1, The Alchemist, I, 1, The New Inn, I, 1, IV, 2, The 
Magnetic Lady, I, 1, Twelfth Night, I, 3, May-Day, II, 1, 
All Fools, V, 1, Sir Giles Goosecap, I, 1, What You Will, 

III, 1, The Dutch Courtesan, I, 2, The Honest Whore, 
Part I, II, 1, Part II, I, 2, The Fleire, I, The Woman's 
Prize, II, 2 (Moroso), The Woman Hater, I, 3, II, 1, The 
Scornful Lady, I, 1, Wit without Money, II, 2, The Turk, 

II, 3, Ram Alley, IV, 1, The White Devil, III, 1, The 
Duchess of Main, I, 1, Appius and Virginia, III, 2, Love's 
Mistress, I, 1, A Challenge for Beauty, II, 1, All's Lost by 
Lust, II, 1, V, 3, The Parliament of Bees, Anything for a 
Quiet Life, I, 1, The City Wit, II, 3, The Northern Lass, 

IV, 1, The Sparagus Garden, III, 4 (1635), The Muse's 
Looking-glass, Covent Garden, V, 6 (1632), Holland's 
Leaguer, I, 1, II, 1, 5 (1632), The Parson's Wedding, I, 1 
(1635), Argalus and Parthenia, II, 1, News from Plym- 
outh, II, 1 (1635), Lady Alimony, II, 2 (1635), Cart- 
wright's Siege, II, 2. See Adams' note, The Turk, p. 85. 

22. Burlesque verses or bad verses used for comic effect 



84 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

are introduced in Love Tricks, III, 5, IV, 1, The Humorous 
Courtier, II, 2, IV, 1, The Bird in a Cage, IV, 2, The Witty 
Fair One, III, 2, Love in a Maze, II, 2. Note Captain 
Underwit, III, 2. These vary from what are apparently 
parodies on the style of particular writers or schools of 
writers to mere nonsensical poems composed by foolish 
characters. 

Cf. Endymion, IV, 2, Love's Labour's Lost, III, 1, 
IV, 2, V, 2, A Midsummer Night's Dream, II, 1, V, 1, 
As You Like It, III, 2, 3, Edward III, II, 1, Locrine, I, 2, 

II, 3, Every Man in his Humor, I, 4, IV, 1, V, 1, Cynthia's 
Kevels, IV, 1, The Poetaster, III, 1, V, 1, Epiccene, II, 2, 
Antonio's Revenge, III, 4, The Gentleman Usher, I, 1, A 
Woman is a Weathercock, III, 3, The Spanish Gipsy, II, 1, 
The Lover's Melancholy, III, 1, Love's Sacrifice, II, 1, 3, 
The Seven Champions of Christendom, V. 

23. In many early plays, particularly in tragedies of 
revenge, as a sort of preparation, perhaps, for a serious 
scene, characters were either discovered with books in their 
hands or entered with them. Shirley has used this device 
seriously on one occasion — The Doubtful Heir, V, 2. 
Twice, however, his clowns appear with books and one of 
them introduces the volume into his foolery. These bur- 
lesques occur in The Royal Master, II, 2, and St. Patrick 
for Ireland, II, 1. See Honoria and Mammon, III, 1, for 
a semi-comic use of books. Note The Lovers' Progress, 
IV, 2 (serious), and The Variety, I, 1 (comic). 

For the serious use of this device, cf. The Spanish 
Tragedy, III, 13, Nobody and Somebody, p. 300, Titus 
Andronicus, IV, 1, Henry VI, Part III, III, 1, Richard III, 

III, 7, Hamlet, II, 2, Antony and Cleopatra, IV, 1 (a let- 
ter), Edward IV, Part II, p. 162, Antonio's Revenge, II, 3, 
A Shoemaker a Gentleman, III, 1, Every Man out of his 
Humor, I, 1, Histriomastix, I, 1, Bussy D'Ambois, II, 1, 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 85 

Caesar and Pompey, IV, 1, V, 1, The Honest Whore, Part 

II, I, 1, The Virgin-Martyr, II, 1, Law Tricks, I, 1, 2, The 
Devil's Charter, IV, 1, V, 6, The Second Maiden's Tragedy, 
IV, 4, The Duchess of Main, V, 5, A Cure for a Cuckold, 

I, 2 (a letter), The Double Marriage, IV, 3, V, 2, The 
False One, IV, 3, The Bloody Banquet, I, 4, III, 2, The 
Maid of Honor, IV, 3, The Renegado, IV, 1, The Picture, 
IV, 2, A Very Woman, IV, 2, The Bashful Lover, III, 1, 
A Game at Chess, II, 1, The Raging Turk, V, 9, The 
Courageous Turk, I, 5 (in a sort of masque), The Captives, 

III, 1 (a letter), The City Nightcap, I, 1, Albovine, III, 1, 
The Lovesick Court, II, 1 (a letter), May's Cleopatra, 

III, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, II, 2, The Lover's Melancholy, 

II, 1, The Deserving Favorite, III, 1 (a letter), The 
Queen, II (a letter), The Swisser, I, 2, Microcosmus, V, 
The Floating Island, V, 8, The Royal Slave, I, 2 (1636), 
Messallina, I, 1, II, 1 (1637). 

For comic uses of the book, cf . Mother Bombie, I, 3, The 
Birth of Merlin, III, 4, The Pilgrimage to Parnassus, II, 

IV, The Return from Parnassus, Part II, I, 1, II, 3, 
Monsieur Thomas, II, 3, The Humorous Lieutenant, IV, 5, 
The Dumb Knight, III, 1, Greene's Tu Quoque, p. 543, 
More Dissemblers besides Women, I, 2, The Antipodes, I, 6 
(1638). 

24. The ordinary supernatural elements of the Eliza- 
bethan drama are, with one exception, never used seriously 
by Shirley. Ghosts are introduced only once — in St. Pat- 
rick for Ireland, IV, 2 — and there they are not only coun- 
terfeits but are used in a comic way. In The Nightwalker, 
II, 1, 2, 4, III, 2, what are thought to be apparitions or 
supernatural beings are really living personages. A more 
or less comic ghost occurs in The Lovers ' Progress, III, 5 ; 
in IV, 2, he reappears, but seriously. Sharkino in The 
Maid's Revenge, III, 2, Flavia in The Young Admiral, 



86 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

IV, 1, Belinda in The Grateful Servant, IV, 4, 5, Bonamico 
in The Bird in a Cage, II, 1, the Banditti in The Sisters, 

III, 1, Caperwit in Love in a Maze, V, 5, Decoy in The 
Lady of Pleasure, IV, 1, are characters who pretend to 
occult knowledge. They are all masquer aders with the ex- 
ception of Sharkino who is a fraud pure and simple. In 
each of these plays the fortune-teller, witch, demon, or 
conjurer takes part in comic scenes. The spirits, miracles, 
etc., in St. Patrick for Ireland, with the exception of the 
characters noted, are seriously used, however (for ana- 
logues, see under that play). 

For false supernatural elements or for a comic use of 
them, cf. Gammer Gurton's Needle, II, 1, The Supposes, 
I, 2, The Old Wives' Tale, p. 455 ff., The Comedy of Errors, 

IV, 4, Henry VI, Part II, I, 2, 4, Antony and Cleopatra, 
I, 2, Mother Bombie, George-a-Greene, p. 261, Look About 
You, Scs. 25, 27, The Blind Beggar of Alexandria, pp. 1, 4, 
The Wise Woman of Hogsdon, II, 1, etc., The Puritan, 
IV, 2, The Woman Hater, III, 3, Thierry and Theodoret, 
III, 2, The Chances, V, 3, The Bloody Brother, IV, 2, The 
Mad Lover, V, 4, The Humorous Lieutenant, IV, 3, 4, The 
Custom of the Country, V, 2, Women Pleased, IV, 2, 4, 
The Fair Maid of the Inn, IV, 2, Rule a Wife and Have a 
Wife, V, 5, The Alchemist, Volpone, II, 1, The Spanish 
Gipsy, III, 2, A Game at Chess, III, 2, IV, 1, Albumazar, 
The City Madam, II, 2, The Fool Would Be a Favorite, IV, 
The Noble Stranger, IV. Jonson in Drummond's Conver- 
sations (Section XIII) is quoted as relating to the latter 
how he disguised himself as an astrologer and cozened a 
lady. 

25. Cases of imaginary cuckoldom are introduced by 
Shirley in The Gentleman of Venice, V, 2, The Grateful 
Servant, V, 1, The Humorous Courtier, V, 1, The Game- 
ster, IV, 1, etc., The Example, III, 1. Note also The Faith- 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 87 

ful Friends, III, 3, Dick of Devonshire, III, 2. In each 
of these plays, save the last two mentioned, the husband, 
who has done, nevertheless, what he could to further the 
fancied illicit relations, suspects his wife of adultery, and 
suffers accordingly. In all he is convinced of the ground- 
lessness of his suspicions and is reconciled with his wife. 

For analogous cocas imaginaires, cf . An Humorous Day 's 
Mirth, p. 38, Every Man in His Humor, II, 1, etc., Volpone, 

II, 3, The Devil is an Ass, V, 5, The Two Angry Women 
of Abington, V, 1, Grim, the Collier of Croydon, IV, 1, 
The Merry Wives of Windsor, II, 2, etc., Othello, III, 3, 
etc., Cymbeline, II, 4, The Winter's Tale, I, 2, etc., The 
Phoenix, I, 2, II, 2, A Mad World, My Masters, I, 2, The 
Family of Love, III, 3, The Witch, III, 2, Westward Ho, 
I, 1, V, 3, Northward Ho, I, 1, Y, 1, The Fawn, II, 1, The 
Insatiate Countess, III, The Dumb Knight, III, 1, V, 1, 
Amends for Ladies, II, 2, The Honest Man's Fortune, I, 2, 
The Knight of Malta, III, 2, The Spanish Curate, V, 2, 
The City Nightcap, 1, 1, Albovine, IY, 1, The Cruel Brother, 
IY, 1, The Platonic Lovers, Y, 1, Love's Sacrifice, IY, 1, 
The Broken Heart, II, 2, The Fancies Chaste and Noble, 

III, 3, The New Academy, Y, 2, The Sparagus Garden, IY, 
10, A Mad Couple Well Matched, IY, 4, The English Moor, 

IV, 5, The Antipodes, Y, 1, The Emperor of the East, IV, 
5, The Guardian, III, 6, The Queen, III, The Hollander I, 1. 

26. Drinking scenes (i.e., scenes laid in a tavern or a 
private house in which at least one character becomes in- 
toxicated or visibly affected by his potations) occur in 
Love's Cruelty, III, 1, The Politician, III, 3, The Royal 
Master, II, 2, The Gentleman of Venice, III, 4, The Im- 
posture, V, 1, The Gamester, II, 2, Captain Underwit, IV, 1. 
Note The Faithful Friends, I, 2, The Nightwalker, II, 1, 
The Variety, IY, 1. 

Cf. David and Bethsabe, p. 469, The Jew of Malta, 



IV, 5, The Iron Age, Part I, I, 1, Fortune by Land and 
Sea, I, 1, Henry IV, Part I, II, 4, III, 3, Part II, II, 4, V, 3, 
Twelfth Night, II, 3, Othello, II, 3, Antony and Cleopatra, 
II, 7, The Tempest, II, 2, III, 2, Every Man out of his 
Humor, V, 4, Eastward Ho, III, 2, Bartholomew Fair, 

IV, 3, The New Inn, III, 1, IV, 1, 2, The Gentleman Usher, 
II, 1, The Coxcomb, I, 5, The Scornful Lady, II, 2, The 
Captain, IV, 2, The Beggars' Bush, II, 3, Amends for 
Ladies, III, 4, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, III, 2, Albo- 
vine, II, 1, Covent Garden, IV, 2 (1632), The Queen, III, 
A Very Woman, III, 5, The Conspiracy, IV, 1 (1634), The 
Hollander, IV, 1 (1635), The Lady Mother, II, 1 (1635), 
Wit in a Constable, V, 1 (1639), The Royal Slave, III, 1 
(1636), The Princess, IV, 4 (1637). Note also Rule a 
Wife and Have a Wife, V, 5. 

27. Deliberate or unintentional ambiguity of speech 
which leads a character to a misinterpretation of the mean- 
ing of the remarks addressed to him plays an important 
part in certain of Shirley's dramas. Ambiguous state- 
ments which mislead those to whom they are directed 
occur in The Cardinal, II, 1, The Court Secret, III, 2, The 
Humorous Courtier, I, 1, IV, 2, The Coronation, IV, 2, 

V, 2, Love in a Maze, IV, 2. 

Cf. The Jew of Malta, II, 2, Edward II, V, 5, The Two 
Gentlemen of Verona, II, 1, Romeo and Juliet, III, 5, 
Othello, IV, 1, The Golden Age, II, 1, Edward IV, Part I, 
p. 64, A Challenge for Beauty, II, 1, An Humorous Day's 
Mirth, p. 30, Every Man in his Humor, II, 1, The Two 
Angry Women of Abington, I, 1, The Revenger's Trag- 
edy, III, 3, The Insatiate Countess, II, A Mad World, 
My Masters, I, 2, III, 2, The White Devil, I, 2, The City 
Nightcap, I, 1, Love's Sacrifice, II, 3, The Antipodes, V, 2. 

28. Very closely connected with the subject of Section 27 
is the variety of double meaning which serves as a hint 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 89 

to some one to act on. These are supposed to be under- 
stood only by the characters to whom they are addressed. 
The hint is liable often to overlap the deliberate ambiguity. 
The difference between the two, such as it is, lies in the 
intention of the speaker. The hint is purposed to be under- 
stood correctly by at least one person, while the ambiguous 
statement is to be misunderstood by all. Hints occur in 
The Imposture, II, 3, The Opportunity, III, 3, IV, 1, The 
Witty Fair One, I, 3. 

Cf. Sapho and Phao, III, 4, The Birth of Merlin, II, 3, 
The Iron Age, Part I, I, 1, The Fair Maid of the Exchange, 
pp. 31-32, A Shoemaker a Gentleman, II, 3, Muck Ado 
about Nothing, II, 3, Twelfth Night, II, 2, Julius Caesar, 
III, 2, The Fawn, III, IV, May-Day, II, 1, The Isle of 
Gulls, II, 4, 5, The Family of Love, I, 2, The Widow, I, 2, 
The Dumb Knight, IV, 1, A Christian Turned Turk, p. 216, 
Wit without Money, IV, 4, V, 3, The Island Princess, V, 4, 
The Broken Heart, IV, 1. 

29. The coming to life (or resurrection) of a person who 
has been thought dead is frequently employed by Shirley. 
Often this incident — or device, for it is nothing more — is 
used as a solution to the plot, as in The Wedding, V, 2. 
Sometimes, the "death" and subsequent revival is a trick, 
as in The Bird in a Cage, V, 1. Generally, however, it is 
the result of a false report, as in The Coronation, III, 2, 
V. 3. Nearly always it is more or less of a surprise to the 
audience. This incident is employed also in Love Tricks, 
V, 2, 3, The Politician, IV, 6, V, 2, The Duke's Mistress, 
V, 4, The Doubtful Heir, I, 1, V, 4, St. Patrick for Ireland, 
III, 1, V, 1, The Court Secret, V, 1, The Brothers, V, 3, 
The Grateful Servant, I, 2, II, 1, V, 2, The Arcadia, V, 2, 
The Sisters, V, 1, Hyde Park, IV, 3, V, 2, The Gamester, 
V, 2 (reported), The Constant Maid, V, 3, Honoria and 
Mammon, IV, 3. Note also The Faithful Friends, V, 2, 



90 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Dick of Devonshire, V, 1, Phillis of Scyros, IV, 4, The 
Nightwalker, II, 4, The Lovers' Progress, V, 2, No Wit, 
No Help like a Woman's, I, 3. 

Cf. James IV, V, 6, Alphonsus, King of Arragon, II, 
The Jew of Malta, V, 1, King John, IV, 2, Romeo and 
Juliet, V, 3, Henry IV, Part I, V, 4, Much Ado about 
Nothing, V, 4, Twelfth Night, V, 1, All's Well that Ends 
Well, V, 3, Measure for Measure, V, 1, Hamlet, IV, 7, 
Othello, V, 2, Antony and Cleopatra, IV, 14, Pericles, 
III, 2, V, 1, 3, Cymbeline, IV, 2, V, 5, The Winter's Tale, 
V, 2 (reported), 3, The Tempest, V, 1, The Iron Age, Part 

II, V, 1, The Fair Maid of the West, Part I, V, 2, A Chal- 
lenge for Beauty, V, 1 (1635), The Wisdom of Doctor 
Dodypoll, IV, 4, The Trial of Chivalry, IV, 1, V, 2, Hoff- 
man, II, How a Man May Choose a Good Wife from a Bad, 
p. 59 ff., Every Woman in her Humor, IV, 1, The Case is 
Altered, V, 4, Volpone, V, 8, The Staple of News, IV, 1, 
The New Inn, V, 1, The Sad Shepherd, The Weakest Goeth 
to the Wall, V, 3, Jack Drum's Entertainment, II, V, An- 
tonio and Mellida, V, What You Will, V, 1, The Malcon- 
tent, IV, 5, V, 3, The Dutch Courtesan, V, 1, The Maid's 
Metamorphosis, V, The Fair Maid of Bristow, IV, 3, Satiro- 
mastix, p. 255, The Old Law, V, 2, The Honest Whore, 
Part I, IV, 4, Westward Ho, V, 2, If This Be not a Good 
Play, the Devil Is in It, p. 345, Match Me in London, III, V, 
Grim, The Collier of Croydon, V, 1, The Atheist's Tragedy, 

III, 1, Michaelmas Term, V, 1, A Chaste Maid in Cheap- 
side, V, 4, The Witch, V, 1, 3, The Spanish Gipsy, V, 3, 
Anything for a Quiet Life, V, 2, The Widow's Tears, V, 1, 
The London Prodigal, V, 1, The Puritan, IV, 3, The Blind 
Beggar of Bednal Green, III, 2 (sic; 3, in reality), Law 
Tricks, IV, [1], V, [1], Humor out of Breath, III, 4, The 
Fleire, V, A Woman is a Weathercock, V, 2, The Woman's 
Prize, V, 4, Thierry and Theodoret, V, 2, Monsieur Thomas, 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 91 

V, 10, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, IV, 4, The Tri- 
umph of Death, Sc. 4, The Triumph of Love, Sc. 8, The 
Faithful Shepherdess, III, 1, V, 5, The Coxcomb, V, 3, 
The Scornful Lady, III, 1, The Captain, IV, 3, The Honest 
Man's Fortune, IV, 2, The Mad Lover, V, 4, The Knight of 
Malta, IV, 2, The Humorous Lieutenant, IV, 8, The Cus- 
tom of the Country, V, 5, The Maid in the Mill, V, 2, The 
Fair Maid of the Inn, V, 1, 3, A Wife for a Month, V, 3, 
Hymen's Triumph, IV, 4, The Turk, II, 1, IV, 1, The Hog 
hath Lost his Pearl, IV, Albumazar, IV, Sicelides, V, 5 
(reported), The Old Couple, V, The Heir, V, A Cure for a 
Cuckold, IV, 2, The Devil's Law-case, IV, 2, V, 6, Revenge 
for Honor, V, 1, The Lady Mother, V, 2 (1635), The City 
Nightcap, V, 1, The Parliament of Love, V, 1, Believe as 
You List, I, 2, The Emperor of the East, V, 3, The Guard- 
ian, V, 4, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, V, 6, The Just Italian, 
V, 1, Love and Honor, V, 1 (1634), The Fair Favorite, 
V, 1 (1638), The Distresses, V, 1 (1639?), The Deserving 
Favorite, V, 1, The Fool Would Be a Favorite, IV, V 
(1638), The Partial Law, V, 4, The Swisser, III, 2, V, 3, 
Love Crowns the End, p. 26 (1632), The Jealous Lovers, 

IV, 4, The Costly Whore, V, 1, The Shepherds' Holiday, 

V, 2 (1634), The Conspiracy, V, 1 (reported), The Float- 
ing Island, V, 8 (1636), The Lost Lady, V, 1 (1637?), 
The Prisoners, V, 3 (1637), The Princess, V, 8 (1637-38), 
The Obstinate Lady, IV, 1, 4 (1638-39), Imperiale, IV, 4. 

30. Shirley employs eavesdropping more frequently than 
does any other Elizabethan dramatist. Conspiracies are 
overheard, as in The Maid's Revenge, III, 1 ; deceptions are 
discovered, as ibid., II, 2; love-affairs are straightened out, 
as in The Example, V, 3 ; misunderstandings arise, as in 
The Constant Maid, II, 3 ; and the device is used in a dozen 
other ways. Other instances of eavesdropping occur in 
Love Tricks, I, 1, III, 2, The Maid's Revenge, II, 5, V, 2, 



92 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

The Traitor, III, 3, The Politician, I, 1, II, 1, The Cardinal, 
V, 3, The Royal Master, V, 1, The Doubtful Heir, III, 1, 
St. Patrick for Ireland, II, 1, IV, 1, V, 1, The Imposture, 
IV, 3, V, 2, The Court Secret, II, 2, The Grateful Servant, 

I, 1, II, 1, III, 1, V, 1, The Opportunity, II, 3, V, 2, The 
Sisters, II, 2, The Wedding, IV, 3, The Witty Fair One, 

II, 2, Love in a Maze, I, 1, IV, 2, The Gamester, I, 1, IV, 2, 
The Example, I, 1, The Lady of Pleasure, III, 2, The Con- 
stant Maid, II, 1, The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses, 
Sc 2, Honoria and Mammon, III, 1, IV, 3, V, 1, 2. Thus, 
in twenty-two dramatic pieces certainly his, Shirley has 
employed eavesdropping forty-one times. Note also The 
Faithful Friends, II, 2, IV, 4, The Nice Valor, II, 1, The 
Noble Gentleman, III, 4, Phillis of Scyros, V, 4, The Ball, 
I, 2, II, 3, V, 1, The Lovers' Progress, III, 3, V, 3 (re- 
ported), Captain Underwit, V, 1, No Wit, No Help like a 
Woman's, III, 1, V, 1, Double Falsehood, II, 1. 

Although the overheard conversation frequently is an 
important constituent of a dramatic plot, it is essentially 
a minor incident. Hence, it seems more judicious to 
summarize the results of the investigation of this stock 
device than to cite the two hundred or more analogues that 
exist. 

Udall uses eavesdropping on 2 occasions; Gascoigne, 3; 
Edwardes, 2; Lyly, 2; Marlowe, 3; Peele, 1; Greene, 4; 
Kyd, 5 ; Shakespeare, 50 ; the Shakespeare Apocrypha, 7 ; 
Heywood, 10; Dekker, 8; Munday, 2; Chettle, 1; Jonson, 
17 ; Haughton, 2 ; Porter, 2 ; Chapman, 14 ; Brewer, 1 ; 
Marston, 6 ; Middleton, 17 ; Tourneur, 1 ; Day, 5 ; Webster, 
6; Yarington, 1; Daniel, 7; Sharpham, 1; Machin, 2; 
Field, 4 ; Beaumont and Fletcher, 49 ; Mason, 3 ; Wilkins, 1 ; 
Barry, 3 ; W. Rowley, 1 ; Cooke, 1 ; Tomkins, 1 ; Massinger, 
31 ; Daborne, 2 ; Wentworth Smith, 2 ; Davenport, 3 ; P. 
Fletcher, 4; T. D., 3; May, 6; Goffe, 2; Fisher, 1; Glap- 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 93 

thorne, 2; Davenant, 7; Ford, 10; Brome, 1; Randolph, 4; 
Carlell, 4; Wilson, 4; Tatham, 1; Marmion, 1; Cartwright, 
3 ; Rutter, 2 ; T. Killigrew, 2 ; Strode, 1 ; Cokain, 2 ; Sharpe, 
1 ; Richards, 2 ; Freeman, 1 ; Quarles, 1. Twenty instances 
are to be found in some 13 anonymous plays also. 

31. Shirley has surpassed every other Elizabethan in the 
common practice of introducing the titles of his plays into 
their text, usually toward the close of the piece. Some- 
times, too, he uses the title in the prologue or epilogue, 
and when it is a phrase descriptive of a leading character 
he often tags the name of that personage with it in the 
dramatis persona. That the occurrence of the title in 
the body of the play is not accidental is shown by the fact 
that often it is capitalized or distinguished in some other 
way from the context. This labelling of the respective 
plays is found in Love Tricks, Y, 2, 3, epilogue, The Maid's 
Revenge, V, 3, The Traitor, I, 2, etc., The Politician, dranxa- 
tis personce, I, 1, IV, 5, V, 2, The Cardinal, prologue, etc., 
The Young Admiral, dramatis persona, The Duke's Mis- 
tress, dramatis personce, The Royal Master, IV, 2, V, 2, 
epilogue, The Doubtful Heir, prologue, The Gentleman of 
Venice, dramatis personce,, I, 1, The Imposture, III, 3, The 
Court Secret, V, 1, The Grateful Servant, V, 3, The Humor- 
ous Courtier, dramatis personal, The Bird in a Cage, IV, 2 
(the play within the play), V, 1, The Opportunity, IV, 1, 
V, 1, The Coronation, prologue, V, 3, epilogue, The Wed- 
ding, V, 2, The Gamester, dramatis personce, The Example, 
prologue, III, 1, V, 3, epilogue. Note The Nice Valor, 
IV, 1, epilogue, The Noble Gentleman, dramatis personce, 
Dick of Devonshire, II, 4, etc., The Nightwalker, V, 2. In 
twenty plays, then, Shirley uses the play-title in the body 
of the piece at least once. 

As in the preceding section the results of the investiga- 
tion of this practice will be summarized, not given in full. 



94 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Stevenson has 1 play in which the title is used in the 
text; Gascoigne, 1; Lyly, 1; Marlowe, 1; Peele, 2; Greene, 
1 ; Nash, 1 ; Shakespeare, 3 ; the Shakespeare Apocrypha, 3 ; 
Heywood, 6; Dekker, 6; Jonson, 14; Haughton, 1; Chap- 
man, 1 ; Brewer, 1 ; Marston, 8 ; Middleton, 10 ; Tourneur, 
1; Day, 3; Webster, 2; Beaumont and Fletcher, 21; W. 
Rowley, 1 ; Cooke, 1 ; Massinger, 7 ; Davenport, 1 ; May, 2 ; 
Glapthorne, 2 ; Davenant, 2 ; Ford, 5 ; Randolph, 1 ; Carlell, 
1 ; S. Rowley, 1 ; Nabbes, 2 ; Marmion, 2 ; Cartwright, 1 ; 
H. Killigrew, 1 ; Strode, 1 ; Cokain, 2 ; Sharpe, 1. To these 
may be added seven anonymous plays which belong to the 
general group. 4 

B. Stock Characters 

Many of Shirley's characters stand in the same relation- 
ship to the earlier drama as the incidents, etc., which have 
been discussed in the preceding pages of this chapter. 
They are familiar figures, but their familiarity is due, not 
so much to a resemblance to any particular character in 
an earlier play, as to a dozen or to a score or more of 
personages in as many plays. Therefore, as with the stock 
incident, analogues to Shirley's stock characters are given 
in order to emphasize that writer's dependence upon the 
work of his predecessors and contemporaries taken 
en masse. 

32. The woman disguised as a man or boy is introduced 
in the persons of Selina in Love Tricks, Castabella in The 
Maid's Revenge, Rosania in The Doubtful Heir, Florelia 
in The Imposture, Leonora in The Grateful Servant, Pul- 
cheria in The Sisters, Lucibel in The Wedding. In the 

■* It should be observed that the names of localities such as Hyde 
Park, or of persons, as King Lear, when occurring as play-titles, 
have not been considered with regard to their appearances in the 
text. 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 95 

plays con jectur ally or only partially Shirley's we have the 
disguises of Lelia in The Faithful Friends, the Mistress to 
the Mad Lord in The Nice Valor, Alathe in The Night- 
walker, Theodosia and Leocadia in Love's Pilgrimage, Mrs. 
Lowwater in No Wit, No Help like a Woman's, and Vio- 
lante in Double Falsehood. In all the plays mentioned 
above, those doubtfully Shirley's as well as those certainly 
his, all the disguises are for sentimental or pathetic effect, 
save those in The Imposture, The Nightwalker, and No 
Wit, No Help like a Woman's. A little foolery occurs as 
the result of the masquerading of the girls in Love's Pil- 
grimage, but it is purely incidental. Generally speaking, 
however, the girl as a page is a serious character in all the 
plays connected with Shirley's name, in which she figures. 
Cf . Neronis in Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes, Phillida 
and Gallathea in Gallathea, Alexandra in The Wars of 
Cyrus, Dorothea in James IV, Julia in The Two Gentlemen 
of Verona, Portia, Jessica, and Nerissa in The Merchant 
of Venice, Rosalind in As You Like It, Viola in Twelfth 
Night, Imogen in Cymbeline, Perseda in Soliman and 
Perseda, the French Lady in The Four Prentices of Lon- 
don, the Second Luce in The Wise Woman of Hogsdon, 
Bess in The Fair Maid of the West, Part I, the Maid in 
A Challenge for Beauty, Laurentia in Englishmen for My 
Money, Mellida in Antonio and Mellida, Eurymine in The 
Maid's Metamorphosis, Franeeschina and Theagine in 
May-Day, Charlotte in The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois, 
Anabel in The Fair Maid of Bristow, Bellafronte and Infe- 
lice in The Honest Whore, Part I, Winnifrede in The 
Witch of Edmonton, Gelaia in Cynthia's Revels, Laetitia 
in The New Inn, Mariana in The Dumb Knight, Nan and 
Susan in The Fleire, Constantia in Ram Alley, Lady Ruin- 
ous in Wit at Several Weapons, Euphrasia in Philaster, 
Aspatia in The Maid's Tragedy, Urania in Cupid's Re- 



96 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

venge, Clara in Love's Cure, Alinda and Juletta in The 
Pilgrim, Aminta in The Maid in the Mill, Maria in The 
Hog hath Lost his Pearl, Moll Cutpurse and Honor in 
Amends for Ladies, Silvia in Hymen's Triumph, Alizea in 
A Christian Turned Turk, Moll and Mary in The Roaring 
Girl, Martia in The Widow, Mrs. Cressingham in Any- 
thing for a Quiet Life, the "Page" and Amelia in More 
Dissemblers besides Women, Eugenia in The Duke of 
Milan, Maria in The Bashful Lover, Leucothoe in The 
Heir, Florabella and Lucina in The Partial Law, Eroclea 
in The Lover's Melancholy, Clarinda in The Deserving 
Favorite, Evrina in The Swisser (reported IV, 1) (1631), 
Martha in The Hollander (1635), Parthenia in Argalus 
and Parthenia, Machessa and Philaenis in The Lady Er- 
rant (1635), Lysimella in The Prisoners (1637), Cleanthe 
and Rosinda in The Obstinate Lady (1638-39), Claramante 
in The Distresses (1639?). 

See also Howell's Familiar Letters, I, 317, II, 654, for 
accounts of ladies who assumed masculine disguises, the 
one to follow her sweetheart, the other her brother. 

33. The subtle, courtly villain whose machinations form 
usually a considerable part of the action is personified by 
Shirley in the following: Lorenzo in The Traitor, Gotha- 
ms in The Politician, the Cardinal in The Cardinal, Leon- 
tio and Valerio in The Duke's Mistress, Montalto in The 
Royal Master, Flaviano in The Imposture, Roderigo in 
The Court Secret, Cassander in The Coronation. Note 
also Rufinus in The Faithful Friends, Gonzalo in The Laws 
of Candy, the Chancellor in Chabot. The intrigues of these 
characters, who are either near relatives or favorites of 
their respective sovereigns, usually have as motives love 
or ambition, sometimes both. 

Cf. Carisophus in Damon and Pythias, Lorenzo and 
Viluppo in The Spanish Tragedy, Lorenzo in The First 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 97 

Part of Jeronymo, Ateukin in James IV, Eleazar in Lust's 
Dominion, Aaron in Titus Andronicus, Richard of Glou- 
cester in Henry VI, Parts II, III, and Richard III, Angelo 
in Measure for Measure, Edmund and Cornwall in King 
Lear, Iago in Othello, Synon and Cethus in The Iron Age, 
Part II, Stroza in A Maidenhead Well Lost, Prince John, 
Warman, the Prior, and Sir Doncaster in The Downfall, 
and The Death of Robert Earl of Huntington, Mendoza in 
The Malcontent, Proditor in The Phoenix, Guardiano in 
Women Beware Women, Horatio in Law Tricks, the Duke 
of Epire in The Dumb Knight, Medice in The Gentleman 
Usher, Muleasses in The Turk, Caesar Borgia and Pope 
Alexander in The Devil's Charter, Timantus in Cupid's 
Revenge, Hempskirke in The Beggar's Bush, La Torch in 
The Bloody Brother, Ronvere in The Double Marriage, 
Septimius in The False One, the Governor in The Island 
Princess, Aper in The Prophetess, Oswell in The Poor 
Man's Comfort, Francisco in The Duke of Milan, Montre- 
ville in The Unnatural Combat, Flaminius in Believe as 
You List, Isaac and Cherseogles in The Raging Turk, 
Philocres in The Partial Law, Hermegild in Albovine, Ga- 
leotto in The Unfortunate Lovers, Stratocles in The Love- 
sick Court, Iacomo in The Deserving Favorite, D'Avolos 
in Love's Sacrifice, Lorenzo and Alexander in Alphonsus, 
Emperor of Germany, Callidus in The Noble Stranger 
(1638), Machville in The Rebellion. 

Pairs of villains working together as do Leontio and 
Valerio are found in the persons of Ganelon and Didier in 
The Distracted Emperor, Bourbon and Roderick in The 
Trial of Chivalry, Hoffman and Lorrique in Hoffman, Don 
John and Borachio in Much Ado about Nothing, Borgias 
and Eunuchus in The Turk, Theanor and Crates in The 
Queen of Corinth, Mountferrat and Rocca in The Knight 
of Malta, Mazeres and Roxano in The Bloody Banquet. 



98 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

(For dignitaries of the church as villains, see under The 
Cardinal). 

34. Sometimes the Machiavellian villain is not connected 
with a court, and his plots have nothing to do directly with 
politics. Velasco in The Maid's Revenge is Shirley's only 
representative of this type (note also Leon in The Lovers' 
Progress). He is, moreover, rather a tool or accomplice, 
like Valerio in The Duke's Mistress, than an originator of 
wickedness. Henrico in Dick of Devonshire (which is 
probably not Shirley's) is a good example of the class. 
The villain in private life is usually actuated by revenge, 
love, avarice, or ambition. His "Machiavellianism" does 
not concern itself with courts or affairs of state but with 
events of private life. 

Cf. Barabas in The Jew of Malta (who is not a cour- 
tier), Merry and Falleria in Two Tragedies in One, D'Am- 
ville in The Atheist's Tragedy, Colax in The Queen's 
Arcadia, Lavall in The Triumph of Death, Luke Frugal 
in The City Madam, De Flores in The Changeling (who 
is the needy retainer of a great house, but whose machina- 
tions are confined to private life). 

35. The thoroughly wicked unscrupulous woman is de- 
picted by Shirley in Catalina in The Maid's Revenge, 
Clariana in Love's Cruelty, Marpisa in The Politician. 
Note also Clarinda in The Lovers' Progress, and Andro- 
mana in Andromana. All these characters are murderesses, 
and three are adulteresses. All are deliberate and cold- 
blooded criminals. 

Cf. Guenevera in The Misfortunes of Arthur, Tamora 
in Titus Andronicus, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Goneril 
and Regan in King Lear, Cleopatra in Antony and Cleo- 
patra, the Queen in Cymbeline, Dionyza in Pericles, Alice 
in Arden of Feversham, Artesia in The Birth of Merlin, 
Clytemnestra in The Iron Age, Part II, Elinor in The 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 99 

Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington, the Duchess in 
The Revenger's Tragedy, Florence in The Fair Maid of 
Bristow, Timoclea in The Turk, Megra in Philaster, 
Evadne in The Maid's Tragedy, Bacha in Cupid's Revenge, 
Lelia in The Captain, Brunhalt in Thierry and Theodoret, 
Zanthe in The Knight of Malta, Hippolyta in The Custom 
of the Country, Violante in The Spanish Curate, the Coun- 
tess in The Insatiate Countess, Lucretia in The Devil's 
Charter, Vittoria in The White Devil, Beaumelle in The 
Fatal Dowry, Beatrice in The Changeling, Livia and Bianca 
in Women Beware Women, Rhodolinda in Albovine, Fior- 
munda in Love 's Sacrifice, the Queen in The Noble Soldier 
(1631). 

36. Berinthia in. The Maid's Revenge, and Rosaura in 
The Cardinal are driven to desperation by the injuries 
done them and theirs and resort to crimes to gratify their 
overwhelming desire for revenge. They and their ana- 
logues may be distinguished from those listed in Section 
35 by the fact that they develop into criminals in the 
course of the play while the latter are wicked at its very 
opening. Theodosia in The Royal Master and Donabella 
in The Imposture betray a depth of passion which might 
easily lead to such criminality as that of the characters 
first mentioned. 

Cf. Gismunda in Tancred and Gismunda, Belimperia 
in The Spanish Tragedy, Tamyra in The Revenge of Bussy 
D'Ambois, Gabriella in The Triumph of Death, Edith in 
The Bloody Brother, Martia in The Double Marriage, Caro- 
pia in Revenge for Honor, Onaelia in The Noble Soldier 
(1631). 

The above analogous characters, it must be remembered, 
in some cases approach the genuine wicked women of Sec- 
tion 35. 

37. The Dukes in The Traitor, Love's Cruelty and The 



100 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Duke's Mistress, and the King in The Politician are lech- 
erous tyrants whose lust has much to do in influencing the 
plots of the respective plays. The Duke in The Traitor, 
and the King in The Politician are weak, as well as lust- 
ful, while the Kings of The Cardinal and The Young 
Admiral, and the Duke in The Imposture are merely weak. 
Basilius in The Arcadia is lecherous but not tyrannical. 
Note Titus Martius in The Faithful Friends, and the King 
in Andromana. Usually the unworthy ruler, no matter 
from what source his unfitness arises, is dominated by an 
intriguing favorite, but this is by no means an invariable 
rule. Also, he is not necessarily a weak monarch. 

Cf. Saturninus in Titus Andronicus, Richard III in 
Richard III, Claudius in Hamlet, Macbeth in Macbeth, 
Antiochus in Pericles, Henry III in Bussy D'Ambois, the 
Duke in The Revenger's Tragedy, the King in The Maid's 
Tragedy, Leontius in Cupid's Revenge, Wolfort in The 
Beggar's Bush, Valentinian in Valentinian, Rollo in The 
Bloody Brother, the Great Duke in The Loyal Subject, 
Antigonus in The Humorous Lieutenant, Clodio in The 
Custom of the Country, Ferrand in The Double Marriage, 
Frederick in A Wife for a Month, the Tyrant in The 
Second Maiden's Tragedy, Ferdinand in The Duchess of 
Malfi, the Duke in Women Beware Women, Albovine in 
Albovine, the Duke in The Cruel Brother. 

38. The profligate young gentleman usually is wild 
rather than innately depraved, but occasionally he is 
both a villain and a debauchee. The type flourishes as well 
in tragedy as in comedy, although its proper place seems 
in a comic setting. Shirley's rakes include Hippolito in 
Love's Cruelty, Malipiero in The Gentleman of Venice, 
Lodwick in The Grateful Servant, Orseolo in The Humor- 
ous Courtier, Pisauro in The Opportunity, Luys in The 
Brothers, Fowler in The Witty Fair One, Lord Bonvile 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 101 

in Hyde Park, Wilding and Hazard in The Gamester, Lord 
Fitzavarice in The Example, Lord A. in The Lady of Pleas- 
ure. Note Marc Antonio in Love's Pilgrimage. It is 
curious that nearly every one of the above reforms in the 
course of the play. 

Cf. Prince Henry in Henry IV, Parts I and II, Lucio 
in Measure for Measure, Hippolito in Blurt, Master Con- 
stable, Sebastian in The Atheist's Tragedy, Ilford in The 
Miseries of Enforced Marriage, John Gresham in If You 
Know not Me, You Know Nobody, Part II, Ricardo in The 
Coxcomb, Young Loveless in The Scornful Lady, Valentine 
in Wit Without Money, Rutilio in The Custom of the 
Country, Mirabel in The Wild Goose Chase, Wellborn in 
A New Way to Pay Old Debts, Ubaldo and Ricardo in The 
Picture, Ferentes in Love's Sacrifice, Nick in The Weed- 
ing of the Covent Garden, Careless in A Mad Couple Well 
Matched, Wat in The Damoiselle, Asotus in The Jealous 
Lovers, Careless in A Fine Companion, Ergasto in The 
Lost Lady (1637?), Hipparchus in The Prisoners (1637), 
Lorece in The Obstinate Lady (1638-39). 

39. The rough blunt soldier is met with in Shirley's 
Sforza in The Maid's Revenge, Aquinus and Reginaldus 
in The Politician, Mauritio in The Young Admiral, and the 
Captain in The Doubtful Heir. Pallante in The Duke's 
Mistress possesses some of the characteristics of this type, 
while Antonio in The Sisters has all the elements save the 
military profession. As a rule, in the earlier drama espe- 
cially, the blunt soldier, who is a faithful friend to the 
hero, acts as a link between the main plot of the play, in 
which he displays his courage and enlivens the dialogue 
with rough wit, and the comic relief where he takes part 
in more or less horse-play. Shirley, however, does not 
emphasize all the typical sides of the character except per- 
haps in The Doubtful Heir. Note the merry young man 



102 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

like Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, as a related figure, 
and observe that not all the analogous characters below are 
soldiers. 

Cf. the Bastard in King John, Kent in King Lear, 
Enobarbus in Antony and Cleopatra, Menenius in Corio- 
lanus, Downright in Every Man in his Humor, Martell 
and De Vitry in Thierry and Theodoret, Dion and the 
Old Captain in Philaster, Melantius in The Maid's Trag- 
edy, Ismenus in Cupid's Revenge, Mardonius in A King 
and No King, Jacomo in The Captain, Hubert in The Beg- 
gars' Bush, Dubois and Longueville in The Honest Man's 
Fortune, Petillius in Bonduca, Pontius and iEcius in Val- 
entinian, Hamond in The Bloody Brother, Theodore in The 
Loyal Subject, Chilax in The Mad Lover, Norandine in 
The Knight of Malta, Leontius in The Humorous Lieu- 
tenant, the Boatswain in The Double Marriage, Sceva in 
The False One, Piniero in The Island Princess, Maximinian 
in The Prophetess, Tibalt du Pont in The Sea Voyage, 
Plenty in The City Madam, Romont in The Fatal Dowry, 
Belgarde in The Unnatural Combat, Baltazar in The Noble 
Soldier (1631), Timillus in Claricilla (1636), the Lieuten- 
ant in The Princess (1637). 

40. The witty young woman is represented by Hilaria 
in Love Tricks, Aurelia and Macrina in The Duke's Mis- 
tress, the Duchess and Laura in The Humorous Courtier, 
Jacinta in The Brothers, Penelope and Violante in The 
Witty Fair One, Carol in Hyde Park, Penelope in The 
Gamester, Jacinta in The Example, Celestina in The Lady 
of Pleasure. Note also the Lady in The Noble Gentle- 
man, Lucina, Rosamond, and Honoria in The Ball, Alathe 
in The Nightwalker, and the Sister in Captain Underwit. 
Jane in The Wedding displays some relation with this type. 
Note also the clever waiting-women : Flavia in The Young 
Admiral, Sensible in The Witty Fair One, Scutilla in The 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 103 

Ball, and Dorothy in Captain Underwit. The best exam- 
ples of the clever, mischievous young lady occur in those 
plays in which she perversely lays counterplots against 
the schemes of her persistent, and rebuffed, but secretly 
favored, suitor. However, she may cut but a minor figure 
in the play, as in The Duke's Mistress. 

Cf. Beatrice in Much Ado about Nothing, Rosalind in 
As You Like It, Aurelia in The Case is Altered, Violetta 
in Blurt, Master- Constable, Rossaline in Antonio and Mel- 
lida, Crispinella in The Dutch Courtesan, Hippolita and 
Violetta in The Isle of Gulls, Emilia in Law Tricks, Flori- 
mel in Humor out of Breath, Maria, Livia, and Bianca in 
The Woman's Prize, Oriana in The Woman Hater, Mary 
and Dorothea in Monsieur Thomas, Galatea in Philaster, 
the Lady in The Scornful Lady, Clora and Frank in The 
Captain, Lady Hart well in Wit without Money, Calis, 
Cleanthe, and Lucippe in The Mad Lover, Celia (or Enan- 
the) in The Humorous Lieutenant, Lamira and Anabell in 
The Little French Lawyer, Oriana, Rosalina, and Lillia- 
Bianca in The Wild Goose Chase, Juletta in The Pilgrim, 
Estifania in Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, Lilly in The 
Elder Brother, Dionysia in All's Lost by Lust, Alphonsina 
in The Wonder of a Kingdom. 

41. The woman disguised as a man is reversed several 
times by Shirley. A feminine disguise is assumed by An- 
tonio and Gorgon in Love Tricks, Pandolfo in The Im- 
posture, Pyrocles in The Arcadia, Morello in The Bird in 
a Cage, and Caperwit's Page in Love in a Maze. Note 
also Jacques in The Noble Gentleman. The man as a 
woman is always a comic figure, and usually an agent in 
some gulling plot. 

Cf. Cupid in Gallathea, Stesias in The Woman in the 
Moon, Libanio in The Wars of Cyrus, Tom in Orlando 
Furioso, Wily in George-a-Greene, Flute in A Midsummer 



104 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Night's Dream (in the play within the play), the Page 
in The Taming of the Shrew (induction), Falstaff and the 
two Boys in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Robin Hood in 
Look About You, Jupiter in The Golden Age, Hercules in 
The Brazen Age, the Bishop of Ely in The Downfall of 
Robert, Earl of Huntington, Walgrave in Englishmen for 
My Money, Antonio in Antonio and Mellida, Pippo in 
What You Will, Lucretio in May-Day, Snip in The Blind 
Beggar of Bednal Green, Joculo in Law Tricks, Lisan- 
der and Manasses in The Isle of Gulls, Justiniano in West- 
ward Ho, Phylocles in The Dumb Knight, Thomas in Mon- 
sieur Thomas, Welford in The Scornful Lady, Veramour 
in The Honest Man's Fortune, Young Archas in The Loyal 
Subject, Chilax in The Mad Lover, Lucio in Love's Cure, 
the Page in Epicoene, Wittipol in The Devil is an Ass, 
"Frank" in The New Inn (really a girl), Folly wit in A 
Mad World, My Masters, " Ansaldo" in The Widow (really 
a woman), Bold, Frank, and Feesimple in Amends for 
Ladies, Catso in The Poor Man's Comfort, Conchylis in 
Sicelides, the Page in The Hector of Germany, Tibaldo in 
The Wonder of a Kingdom, Gilla in The Lover's Melan- 
choly, Popinjay in The Hollander (1635), Sabelli in The 
Ladies' Privilege, Valentine in Wit in a Constable (1639), 
Sir Timorous in The Floating Island (1636), the Boy in 
Cartwright's Siege (1637), Young Gudgeon in The Fool 
Would Be a Favorite (in a play within the play) (1638). 

42. The avaricious old man who seeks to prevent a young 
woman dependent upon him (daughter, niece, or ward) 
from marrying the man of her choice and who often at- 
tempts to direct her affections to a suitor of his own selec- 
tion is introduced by Shirley in Rufaldo in Love Tricks, 
Don Carlos in The Brothers, Sir George Richley in The 
Witty Fair One, Sir John Woodhamore in Love in a Maze, 
Sir Richard Hurry in The Gamester (ostensibly), Hornet 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 105 

in The Constant Maid. Rufaldo furthermore attempts to 
marry a young wife. The King in The Cardinal, it should 
be noticed, pushes Rosaura's match with Columbo. Note 
also the King in The Court Secret, the Duke in The Bird 
in a Cage (and Mrs. Goldsworth in Love in a Maze), as 
interfering in their daughter's love-affairs. In all of the 
plays in which the opposition to the lady's marriage is 
sincere, the officious old man (or woman) is outwitted and 
the true lovers are united. 

Cf. Cleander in The Supposes, Gripe in Wily Beguiled, 
Curvetto in Blurt, Master-Constable, Sir Bounteous Prog- 
ress in A Mad World, My Masters, Hoard and Lucre in 
A Trick to Catch the Old One, Russell in A Fair Quarrel 
(ostensibly), Lorenzo in May-Day, Corbaccio in Volpone, 
Richer Pennyboy in The Staple of News, Pandolfo in Al- 
bumazar, Bloodhound in A Match at Midnight. Certain 
of these characters are more especially misers, while some, 
like Rufaldo, are in search of a young wife. The list is 
not, by any means, a complete one. 

For the attempts to regulate the affections of the young 
ladies in the above plays of Shirley's by the characters 
named, cf . The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer 
Night's Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo and 
Juliet, Hamlet, Wily Beguiled, Englishmen for My Money, 
The Phoenix, The Changeling, Women Beware Women, The 
Duchess of Main, The Devil's Law-case, Match Me in Lon- 
don, Women Pleased, Wit at Several Weapons, The Knight 
of the Burning Pestle, A New Way to Pay Old Debts, 'Tis 
Pity She's a Whore, A Fine Companion, The Novella, The 
Hollander, Argalus and Parthenia, The Shepherds' Holi- 
day, The Lost Lady. This is not intended as a complete 
list of analogues. 

43. The comic old man, who is generally garrulous, and 
whose folly furnishes amusement for the other characters, 



106 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

is only approximated by Shirley in Mercutio in The Oppor- 
tunity. Certain elements of this type seem present in 
Ruf aldo in Love Tricks, and Old Barnacle in The Gamester. 
There is a relationship between the representatives of this 
type and the blunt old man such as Antonio in The Sisters 
(who falls in another class). Note Dorilaus in The Lovers' 
Progress and Sanchio and Alphonso in Love's Pilgrimage 
as variants. 

Cf. Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Polonius in Hamlet, 
Calianax in The Maid 's Tragedy, Alphonso in The Pilgrim, 
Miramont in The Elder Brother, and Durazzo in The 
Guardian as typical. 

44. Very frequently Shirley's witty young woman is 
courted by one or more foolish suitors, generally under 
middle age, who act as foils to her cleverness and serve 
as butts to her and to the other characters of the play. 
Frequently their gulling is the theme of the subplot. Even 
where there is no especially brilliant female personage, how- 
ever, the foolish male character often is introduced. Also, 
he is not invariably depicted as in love. He may be a 
man of rank, a gentleman, a citizen or a bcci-: whatever his 
station and breeding may be, to a certain extent he usurps 
the functions of the clown of the earlier drama. To this 
class belong Bubulcus in Love Tricks, Montenegro in The 
Maid's Revenge, Depazzi in The Traitor, Sueno and Helga 
in The Politician, Fabio in The Young Admiral, Thomazo 
in The Gentleman of Venice, Bertoldi in The Imposture, 
Don Pedro in The Brothers, Volterre in The Humorous 
Courtier, Morello, Dondolo, and Grutti in The Bird in a 
Cage, Rawbone in The Wedding, Venture and Rider in 
Hyde Park, Vainman and Pumicestone in The Example, 
Scentlove, Kickshaw and Littleworth in The Lady of Pleas- 
ure, Startup in The Constant Maid. Note Lamount, Trav- 
ers, Bostock, and Barker in The Ball, and Lambstone, 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 107 

Weatherwise, Pepperton, and Overdone in No Wit, No Help 
like a Woman's. (See under Section 44 following for ad- 
ditional examples.) 

Cf. Kalph Roister Doister in Roister Doister, Armado 
in Love's Labor's Lost, Thurio in The Two Gentlemen of 
Verona, Slender and Shallow in Henry IV, Part II, Slen- 
der, Caius and Shallow in The Merry Wives of Windsor, 
Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night, Rosenkranz, 
Guildenstern and Osric in Hamlet, Roderigo in Othello, 
Cloten in Cymbeline, Peter Plodall in Wily Beguiled, 
Jerom in Hoffman, Rowl in An Humorous Day's Mirth, 
Innoeentio and Giovanelli in May-Day, Simonides and the 
Courtiers in The Old Law, Young Strowd in The Blind 
Beggar of Bednal Green, Scilicet and Phylantus in Every 
Woman in her Humor, Balurdo and Castilio in Antonio 
and Mellida, Simplicius in What You Will, Puff and John 
Ellis in Jack Drum's Entertainment, Matthew and Master 
Stephen in Every Man in his Humor, Sogliardo and Fun- 
goso in Every Man Out of his Humor, Asotus in Cynthia's 
Revels, La Foole and Daw in Epicoene, Kastrel in The 
Alchemist, Cokes in Bartholomew Fair, Pennydub, Muck- 
hill and Tipstaff in The Puritan, Goosecap, Rudesby and 
Foulweather in Sir Giles Goosecap, Oliver in The London 
Prodigal, Petoune in The Fleire, Moroso in The Woman's 
Prize (advanced in years), Hylas in Monsieur Thomas, 
Caeafogo in Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, Sir Abraham 
and Frederick in A Woman is a Weathercock, Bubble and 
Scattergood in Greene's Tu Quoque, Wealthy in The Hog 
hath Lost his Pearl, Shallow in The Heir, Dotterel in The 
Old Couple, Graccho in The Duke of Milan, Sylli in The 
Maid of Honor, Asotus in the Bondman, Tim in A Match 
at Midnight, Ticket and Ruffit in The City Wit, Widgeon 
and Nonsense in The Northern Lass, Clotpoll in The Weed- 
ing of the Covent Garden, Swayne in The Court Beggar 



108 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

(1632 or '40), Nehemiah in The New Academy, Tim and 
Tom Hoyden in The Sparagus Garden, Sir Amphilus in 
The Damoiselle (1637-38), Innocent Lambskin and Speed- 
well in A New Wonder : A Woman Never Vexed, Andrew 
in The Ordinary, Crackby and Sir Geoffrey in The Lady 
Mother, Shallow-wit and Holdfast in Wit in a Constable 
(1639), Gudgeon in The Fool Would Be a Favorite (1638), 
Pupillus in The Noble Stranger (1638), Timothy in The 
City Match (1639). 

45. Often the gull or foolish suitor is attended by a 
servant as witless or as gullible as he, as Depazzi and Cris- 
pino in The Humorous Courtier, Lodam and Camelion in 
The Wedding, Treedle and his Tutor in The Witty Fair 
One, Simple and Thump in Love in a Maze, Young Barna- 
cle and Dwindle in The Gamester. Note Sir Pergamus 
and Dindimus in The Faithful Friends, Freshwater and 
Gudgeon in The Ball, Underwit and Thomas in Captain 
Underwit. 

Cf. Strumbo and Trompart in Locrine, Slender and 
Simple in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Tim and his Tutor 
in A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, Sir Gregory and Pompey 
in Wit at Several Weapons, Onos and his Tutor in The 
Queen of Corinth, Sancho and Soto in The Spanish Gipsy, 
Chough and Trimtram in A Fair Quarrel, The Ward and 
Sordido in Women Beware Women, Lothario and Borachio 
in The Cruel Brother, Bergetto and Poggio in 'Tis Pity 
She's a Whore, Capritio and Miscellanio in Holland's 
Leaguer (1632), Asotus and Ballio in The Jealous Lovers 
(1632), Dungworth, and Ralph and Dobson in Covent Gar- 
den (1632), Tub and Hilts in A Tale of a Tub (1633). 

46. The clown was almost an essential figure in the 
earlier Elizabethan drama. Generally he was a servant, 
sometimes a fool or jester, sometimes he was a rustic, but 
always he was a member of the lower ranks of society. 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 109 

In the later drama he is superseded to a considerable de- 
gree by either the foolish gentleman (who is often from 
the country), the parvenu citizen, or the poltroon. Con- 
sequently there are only six really well denned clowns 
in Shirley's plays. They are Pazzorello in The Young 
Admiral, Bombo in The Royal Master, Rodamant in St. 
Patrick for Ireland, Georgio in The Gentleman of Venice, 
Pimponio in The Opportunity, Piperollo in The Sisters. 
Note also Mochingo in The Laws of Candy, the Artizans 
in The Faithful Friends, Base and Galoshio in The Nice 
Valor, Jacques in The Noble Gentleman, Buzzano in Dick 
of Devonshire, Toby in The Nightwalker, Lancelot in The 
Lovers' Progress, Thomas in Captain Underwit, Pickadill 
in No Wit, No Help like a Woman's. It is worth observing 
that in the following lists the characters of this type who 
have no definite names occur chiefly in plays produced 
before 1615, and that the nameless clowns in plays after 
that date are the creation of dramatists whose first work 
was done before 1600. 5 

Cf. the Clowns (and Fools) in Titus Andronicus, All's 
Well that Ends Well, King Lear, Othello, Timon of Athens, 
Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter's Tale, A Looking- 
glass for London, Sir Thomas More, Doctor Faustus, The 
Wounds of Civil War, Nobody and Somebody, The Golden 
Age, The Four Prentices of London, The Rape of Lucrece, 

s The clowns and similar comic characters in the Elizabethan 
drama have been exhaustively discussed by Eckhardt, Die lustige 
Person. See especially Part V, "Die Narren," and Part VI, "Die 
Clowns"; pp. 262-299, and 371-453 are of especial interest in con- 
nection with the list given above. For Shirley's clowns, etc., see 
particularly pp. 386 (Dametas), 398-400 (Pimponio, Bombo, Piper- 
olio), 435-36 (Rodamant). It will be noted that Eckhardt does 
not consider Pazzorello or Georgio in his study. Also, his lists 
of the comic characters which are grouped above under the generic 
name "clown" differ from those here given. 



110 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Fortune by Land and Sea, The Captives, The English Trav- 
eller, A Maidenhead Well Lost (1633), Love's Mistress, A 
Challenge for Beauty, The Birth of Merlin, The Trial 
of Chivalry, The Thracian Wonder, The Pilgrimage to 
Parnassus, The Miseries of Enforced Marriage, If You 
Know Not Me, You Know Nobody, Parts I, II, Match Me 
in London, The Mad Lover, The Fair Maid of the Inn, 
The Bloody Banquet, Appius and Virginia, The Martyred 
Soldier, The City Nightcap, A New Wonder: A Woman 
Never Vexed, Lady Alimony (a Country Boor) (1637). 

Cf. also Ambidexter in Cambyses, Subtle Shift in Sir 
Clyomon and Sir Clamydes, Tom Miller in Jack Straw, 
Adam in A Looking-glass for London, Ralph Simnell and 
Miles in Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, Bullitbrumble in 
Selimus, Jenkin in George-a-Greene, La Fue in The Dis- 
tracted Emperor, Piston in Soliman and Perseda, Costard 
in Love's Labor's Lost, the two Dromios in The Comedy 
of Errors, Speed and Launce in The Two Gentlemen of 
Verona, Quince, Bottom, Flute, Snout, Snug and Starve- 
ling in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Launcelot in The 
Merchant of Venice, the Servant, Sampson, Gregory, and 
Peter in Romeo and Juliet, Dogberry and Verges in Much 
Ado about Nothing, Touchstone in As You Like It, Feste 
in Twelfth Night, Thersites in Troilus and Cressida, the 
Cobbler, etc., in Julius Caesar, Pompey in Measure for 
Measure, the Grave-diggers in Hamlet, the Old Shepherd 
in The Winter's Tale, the Porter in Macbeth, Trinculo, 
Stephano, and Caliban in The Tempest, the Friar, Jack 
and John in Edward I, Corebus in The Old Wives' Tale, 
Will Summer in Summer's Last Will and Testament, Trot- 
ter in Fair Em, Mouse in Mucedorus, Hodge in Thomas, 
Lord Cromwell, Puppy and Curtail in The Wounds of Civil 
War, Chub and Hobs in Edward IV, Part I, Socia in The 
Silver Age, Gallus in The Brazen Age, Thersites in The 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. Ill 

Iron Age, Parts I, II, Fiddle in The Fair Maid of the 
Exchange, Clem in The Fair Maid of the West, Parts I, 
II, Cock in The Royal King and Loyal Subject, Stilt in 
Hoffman, Will Cricket in Wily Beguiled, Haunce in The 
Wisdom of Doctor Dodypoll, Dick Bowyer in The Trial of 
Chivalry, Pipkin in How a Man May Choose a Good Wife 
from a Bad, Much and Ralph in The Downfall of Robert, 
Earl of Huntington, Much in The Death of Robert, Earl of 
Huntington, Frisco in Englishmen for My Money, Coomes, 
Hodge and Nicholas in The Two Angry Women of Abing- 
ton, Barnaby in A Shoemaker a Gentleman, Babulo in Pa- 
tient Grisel, Shadow in Old Fortunatus, Gnotho in The 
Old Law, Plain Dealing in The Whore of Babylon, Scum- 
broth in If This Be Not a Good Play, The Devil Is in It, 
Bilbo in Match Me in London, Cargo in The Wonder of a 
Kingdom, Swash in The Blind Beggar of Bednal Green, 
Joculo and Adam in Law Tricks, Dametas in The Isle of 
Gulls, Kemp in The Travails of Three English Brothers, 
Grim in The Lovesick King, Passarello in The Malcontent, 
Dondolo in The Fawn, Bunch in The Weakest Goeth to the 
Wall, Frog in The Fair Maid of Bristow, Bassiolo in The 
Gentleman Usher, Argus in The Widow's Tears, Dondolo 
in The Revenger's Tragedy, Gumwater in A Mad World, 
My Masters, Neat foot in The Roaring Girl, President in 
The Dumb Knight, Rabshake in A Christian Turned Turk, 
Surdo and Catso in The Poor Man's Comfort, the Beggars 
and Boors in The Beggar's Bush, Shorthose in Wit with- 
out Money, Villio in The Double Marriage, Penurio and 
Bomby in Women Pleased, Bobadilla in Love's Cure, the 
Servant in The Wild Goose Chase, Geta in The Prophetess, 
Bustopha in The Maid in The Mill, Tony in A Wife for 
a Month, Trincalo in Albumazar, Cancrone and Serocca in 
Sicelides, the Englishman and Frenchman in The Hector 
of Germany, Ambler in The Devil is an Ass, Fly in The 



112 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

New Inn, Jacques in All's Lost by Lust, Sim in A Match 
at Midnight, Gazet in The Renegade-, Calandrino in The 
Great Duke of Florence, Hilario in The Picture, Berecinth- 
ius in Believe as You List, Gothrio in The Bashful Lover, 
the Dwarf in The Raging Turk, Rollano in Fuimus Troes, 
Trollio in The Lover's Melancholy, Jeffrey in The Queen's 
Exchange, Andrea in The Queen and Concubine, Cornego 
in The Noble Soldier, Bromius and Mopsus in Randolph's 
Amyntas, Scrub in Love Crowns the End (1632), Slip in 
Tottenham Court (1633), Mopas and Bufo in The Queen, 
Suckabus in The Seven Champions of Christendom, Trapo- 
lin in Trapolin Supposed a Prince. Observe that this type 
is closely related to the gull (Sections 43 and 44), the 
poltroon (Section 46) and the page (Section 47). 

47. The gull, boor, or clown is usually a poltroon whose 
cowardice supplies some of the comic passages in the plays 
in which he figures. Bubulcus and Orlando Furioso in 
Love Tricks, Montenegro, Depazzi (The Traitor), Sueno 
and Helga, Fabio, and Pazzorello, the Citizens in The 
Doubtful Heir, Bertoldi, Mendoza in The Court Secret, 
Don Pedro, Depazzi (The Humorous Courtier), Morello, 
Piperollo in The Sisters, Lodam, Rawbone, Young Barna- 
cle, Rapture in The Example, Scentlove, Startup, Poly- 
brontes in The Contention of Ajax and Achilles are Shir- 
ley's cowards. Note Lapet and the Gallant in The Nice 
Valor, Jacques in The Noble Gentleman, Bostock in The 
Ball, and Toby in The Nightwalker. There is no discrimi- 
nation in regard to rank among the characters of this type. 
The poltroon may be a nobleman like Don Pedro, a citizen 
like Young Barnacle, or a servant like Pazzorello. The 
type in its later form is a development of the earlier miles 
gloriosus. 

Cf. the poltroons already listed among the foolish per- 
sonages, such as Roister Doister, Aguecheek, Daw, La 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 113 

Foole, etc., with Sir Topas in Endymion, Huanebango in 
The Old Wives' Tale, the Braggart in Nobody and Some- 
body, Basilisco in Soliman and Perseda, Falstaff and Bar- 
dolph in Henry IV, Parts I, II, and The Merry Wives of 
Windsor, Pistol in Henry IV, Part II, Henry V, and The 
Merry Wives of Windsor, Nym in Henry V, and The 
Merry Wives of Windsor, Parolles in All's Well that Ends 
Well, Bragadino in The Blind Beggar of Alexandria, 
Quintiliano in May-Day, Bobadill in Every Man in his 
Humor, Buffone in Every Man out of his Humor, Tucca 
in The Poetaster, Tipto in The New Inn, Matzagente and 
Balurdo in Antonio and Mellida, Herod in The Fawn, 
Lazarillo de Tormes in Blurt, Master-Constable, Gullio in 
The Return from Parnassus, Part I, Furor Poeticus in The 
Return from Parnassus, Part II, Protaldy in Thierry and 
Theodoret, Humphrey in The Knight of the Burning Pes- 
tle, Nicodemus in The Triumph of Honor, Pharamond in 
Philaster, Timantus in Cupid 's Revenge, Bessus in A King 
and No King, Lodovico and Piso in The Captain, Judas 
in Bonduca, Timentes in The Swisser. 

48. The clever page as a comic character had become 
rare by 1625. He still was a figure on the stage, but he 
seldom played any other part than that of a servant. Day 
had expressed what was apparently the general senti- 
ment of the dramatists, twenty or more years earlier, 
when he said that pages were "clean out of the fashion," 
Law Tricks, IV, 1. Shirley's pages have very little to do 
with the plots of the plays in which they appear, but in 
one or two cases they recall the clever Boys of Lyly 
and Shakespeare. His representatives of the type are 
Jocarello in Love Tricks, Didimo in The Young Ad- 
miral, Celio in The Court Secret, Lysippus and Didymus in 
The Contention of Ajax and Achilles, and the Pages in 
Love's Cruelty, Love in a Maze, Hyde Park, The Gamester, 



114 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

and The Example. Ascanio in The Opportunity is a clever 
boy, but not a page. 

Cf. the Pages in Endymion, Campaspe, Sapho and Phao, 
Midas, Captain Thomas Stukeley, Selimus, The Taming of 
the Shrew, Timon of Athens, Jack Drum's Entertainment, 
The Fawn, The Malcontent, Eastward Ho, Blurt, Master- 
Constable, The Isle of Gulls, Law Tricks, Humor out of 
Breath, Lingua, The Return from Parnassus, Part II, The 
Poetaster (two "Pyrgi"), Epiccene, All Pools, Monsieur 
D'Olive, The Hector of Germany, The Queen of Corinth, 
The Mad Lover, The Fatal Dowry, The Maid of Honor, 
The Unnatural Combat, The Combat of Love and Friend- 
ship (1636). 

Cf. the Boys in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry IV, 
Part II, Henry V, An Humorous Day's Mirth, The Two 
Angry Women of Abington, Every Woman in her Humor, 
Satiromastix, The Return from Parnassus, Part I, The 
Woman Hater, The Wild Goose Chase, Lady Alimony 
(1635). 

Cf. Jack and Will in Damon and Pythias, Orgalio in 
Orlando Furioso, Moth in Love's Labor's Lost, Halfpenny 
and Lucio in Mother Bombie, Catso and Dildo in Antonio 
and Mellida, Bydett, Pippo, Phylus, and the other Pages 
in What You Will, Joculo, Frisco, and Mopso in The 
Maid's Metamorphosis, Snip in The Blind Beggar of Bed- 
nal Green, Joculo in Law Tricks, Bullaker, Jack and Will 
in Sir Giles Goosecap, Pantofle in The Turk, Veramour in 
The Honest Man's Fortune, Conchylio in Sicelides, Pacheco 
in Match Me in London, Allworth in A New Way to Pay 
Old Debts, Dorylus in Randolph's Amyntas, Paegnium in 
The Jealous Lovers (1632), Nitido in The Fancies Chaste 
and Noble (1635). 

The above lists of pages, boys, etc., are not exhaustive, 



THE STOCK INCIDENTS, CHARACTERS, ETC. 115 

but aim to include those characters of the general type who 
are more especially distinguished for wit, mischief, etc. 
For an interesting character of a page, see John Stephens 
the Younger 's Essays and Characters, Bk. II, Character 24. 



CHAPTER V 
LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 

"The drama had become conventionalized. The drama- 
tists were no longer searching for new themes and charac- 
ters in a wide range of stories; they were inventing their 
plots, but were restricted in their materials. The ingredi- 
ents of early plays served Shirley's purpose and by a few 
new devices or changes in motive he gave his fashionable 
ladies, his lustful monarchs, scheming favorites and exiled 
heroes new names and adventures, and so produced a play. 
The cleverness of the plot occupies your attention, or occa- 
sionally a beautiful passage or a fine conception of charac- 
ter arrests the mind" (Thorndike, Tragedy, p. 231). 

What Professor Thorndike says of Shirley's tragedies is 
equally applicable to his comedies and tragi-comedies. 
From the array of parallel devices of one kind or another 
in the preceding chapter we see that certainly the drama 
had become conventionalized, and that out of these more 
or less hackneyed devices, grouped about several of the 
leading themes and situations discussed in Chapter III, 
Shirley built his plays. In the present chapter the attempt 
will be to show how he went about the construction of his 
plays, as far as internal evidence adduced nearly two hun- 
dred and ninety years after their composition can explain 
their author's methods. Love Tricks and The Maid's Re- 
venge have been chosen as fairly representative of Shirley's 
methods of dramatization. Moreover, they are his earliest 
extant efforts in comedy and in tragedy, and while, of 
course, in later plays occasionally Shirley departs from 

116 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID ? S REVENGE 117 

his practice as shown in the composition of the dramas 
just mentioned, yet, in general, np to The Court Secret, his 
last regular play, he follows the same formula. These two 
early plays have the advantage of being based on novels, 
not on plays, so that the dramatist's selection and rejection 
of material may be observed — how it accords or does not 
accord with the dramatic conventions of the time. The 
discussion of these two plays will be somewhat fuller than 
that of those in the following chapters. There the empha- 
sis will be upon Shirley's sources, general and particular; 
here it is rather upon his treatment of his sources. 

I. Love Tricks 

Love Tricks, which was licensed February 10, 1624-25, 
bears every indication of having been composed during 
Shirley 's residence at St. Albans. As Schipper says 
(James Shirley, p. 20) it is a comedy " welches zwischen 
verschiedenen Arten der Komodie, der Intrigen-Komodie, 
der Posse und der Pastor al-und Sitten-Komodie hin- 
und herschwankt. ' ' This curious mixture of types, together 
with the matter, would serve to identify the play as the 
work of a young scholar of considerable reading and not 
much actual practical knowledge of the drama. 

The main plot — the story of the loves of Infortunio and 
Selina — is derived from Of Phylotus and Emilia, the 
eighth novel of Barnabe Eiche's Farewell to Military Pro- 
fession. 1 A number of elements from other sources which 

i The title of the play (which suggests Day's Law Tricks) may 
be derived from Wit at Several Weapons, IV, 2 ("Love-tricks break 
out, I see"), or from Grim, the Collier of Croydon, V, 1 ("Wanton 
love-tricks"). The expression is also found in Law Tricks, II, 1, 
The Maid's Tragedy, V, 2, The Guardian, III, 6, The Royal Slave, 
II, 4 (1636) (used in another sense). The subtitle (The School 
of Compliments) perhaps suggested the title of The Academy of 



118 

also enter into the play will be pointed out in the course of 
the discussion. Riche's characters have all been renamed 
and new characters have been introduced to the number 
of twelve besides the shepherds and shepherdesses. Thus 
Riche 's Alberto = Shirley 's Cornelio, Phy lotus = Ruf aldo, 
Flavius = Infortunio, Philerno = Antonio, Emilia = Se- 
lina, and Brisilla = Hilaria. The new characters added 
are Gasparo, "a gentleman, lover of Felice," Bubulcus, ''a 
rich gull, in love with Hilaria," Jenkin, ''a Welshman," 
Jocarello, "his page," Gorgon, "Antonio's servant," In- 
geniolo, "a justice's clerk," Orlando Furioso, "a roarer," 
"an Old Countryman," Oaf, "his son," Felice, sister to 
Selina, Delia, "a chambermaid," and Medulla, "a country 
gentlewoman." Various elements have been introduced 
such as the social and literary satire and pastoralism. 2 
The play may be briefly outlined as follows : 
Infortunio is in love with Selina who loves Rufaldo, 
an old man. Unable to win her, Infortunio goes mad. 
Selina on the eve of her wedding discovers that she really 
loves Infortunio, and so, disguised as a shepherd, she flees 
into the forest. Her brother Antonio, though pretending to 
search for her, dresses himself in her clothes, and is married 
to Rufaldo in her place. Antonio loves Hilaria, the daugh- 
ter of Rufaldo, whom her father designs to marry to 
Bubulcus, a cowardly fool. Bubulcus, who has been beaten 
by Antonio, pretends to have slain him in a duel, and is 
arrested, since Antonio has apparently disappeared. In 
the meantime, Selina in disguise is residing with some shep- 
herds among whom is her sister, Felice, who had run away 
sometime before in order to escape an obnoxious marriage. 
The mad Infortunio comes to them, and is cured by Felice. 

Compliments, a poetical miscellany published in 1640, to which 
doubtless Brome alludes in The Jovial Crew, II. 
2 Baskerville, Mod. Lang. Notes. XXIV, 100-101. 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 119 

Gasparo, Felice's early lover, appears, and discovers her 
identity and Selina's. They wonder to hear that Selina 
is thought still to be in the city. Selina's father, Cornelio, 
Eufaldo, and the others are invited to witness the rustic 
sports of the shepherds. They go and discover the decep- 
tion. Felice and Gasparo, Selina and Infortunio, Hilaria 
and Antonio are united. Some additional comic passages 
are furnished in the play by the long episode of the Com- 
pliment School, by the humors of Jenkin, Selina's Welsh 
suitor, and by the clever pranks of Gorgon, Antonio's 
servant, who follows Gasparo through the play. 

Only a few of the characters require discussion. Ru- 
faldo has been treated in Chap. IV, Sect. 42. Infortunio in 
character somewhat resembles Aurelio in May-Day. His 
name seems derived from The Hector of Germany, III, 3. 
There, Young Fitzwater has run away with Floramel, his 
father's betrothed. She has left a page in her clothing 
who goes to the church with the old man (II, 4). Fitz- 
water and Floramel being wrecked on the French coast, 
the latter gives her name as Infortuna and her husband's 
as Infortunio. Gasparo has a few of the traits of Lemot 
in An Humorous Day's Mirth, Ludovico in May-Day, 
Macilente in Every Man out of his Humor, the Colonel's 
Friend in A Fair Quarrel, and similar humorists. Among 
the characters in English drama who are parallels to the 
clever Gorgon are Matthew Merry greek in Roister Doister, 
Dulipo in Supposes, Skink in Look about You (a combina- 
tion of the clever servant and the clown), Tranio in The 
Taming of the Shrew, Pisanio in Cymbeline, Angelo in 
May-Day, Brainworm in Every Man in his Humor, Mosca 
in Volpone, the Butler in The Miseries of Enforced Mar- 
riage, Cricca in Albumazar, Launce in Wit without Money, 
Sim in A Match at Midnight, Jeremy in The City Wit 
(1629), Pate in The Northern Lass (1630), Urinal in The 



120 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Hollander (1632), Grimes in The Lady Mother (1635), 
Crochet in A Fine Companion (1635). Shirley uses the 
type later in Diego in The Maid's Revenge, Carlo in The 
Bird in a Cage, Brains in The Witty Fair One, Close in 
The Constant Maid. Note Savorwit in No "Wit, No Help 
like a Woman's. Gorgon and Diego, who are both young, 
are not far from the witty page (see Chap. IV, Sect. 
48). 

Jenkin, the comic Welshman, is an example of a very 
common humorous figure in Elizabethan drama — the for- 
eigner whose broken English and display of what passed 
for national characteristics make him amusing. In The 
Nightwalker, Maria, as a Welsh girl, uses the dialect for 
pathetic rather than for comic effect. The fourth stanza 
of Shirley's poem Upon the Prince's Birth (VI, 424 ff.) 
contains a use of the dialect. Other Welsh figures in the 
drama are the various Welsh characters in Edward I, 
Glendower in Henry IV, Part I, Sir Hugh Evans in The 
Merry Wives of Windsor, Fluellen in Henry V, Owen, 
Gough and Davy in Sir John Oldcastle, Sir Vaughan in 
Satiromastix, Captain Jenkin in Northward Ho, Bristle in 
Bartholomew Fair, the Welshwoman in A Chaste Maid in 
Cheapside, the Welsh Madman in The Changeling, the 
Welshman in The Royal King and Loyal Subject, and 
Randall in A Match at Midnight. 3 For other Welsh char- 
acters, see Eckhardt, Die Auslandertypen (Materialien, 

3 Out of three hundred and sixty-six jests in A Banquet of Jests, 
or Change of Cheer, ten concern the Welsh. Cf. also Character 14, 
Bk. II, A Wrangling Welsh Client, in Essays and Characters, by John 
Stephens, the Younger; On a Welshman's Devotion, and a Welsh- 
man in Wit Restored; epigrams On a Welshman and an Englishman, 
On a Welshman (two of the same title), epitaphs On a Welshman 
(two in number), The Welshman's Praise of Wales and Hur in 
Love in Wit's Recreations. Note also Jonson's masque, For The 
Honor of Walee. 



4 



121 

XXXII), p. 23 ff., and for a discussion of various attributes 
of the stage Welshman, see ibid., p. 12 ff. 4 Observe that 
Jenkin is the generic name for the Welshman, as Sandy is 
for the Scotchman, and Patrick, or Teague, for the Irish- 
man. Frisk and Winfield (as a Frenchman) in The Ball 
are examples of the occurrence of another nationality than 
Welsh in the plays in which Shirley had a hand. Note 
Ascanio as a Swiss in The Opportunity. Orlando Furioso, 
the roarer, is treated with the poltroons in Chap. IV, Sect. 
47, and Bubulcus, the foolish lover is considered in the 
same chapter, Sect. 44. Joculo, Jenkin 's page, is treated 
in Chap. IV, Sect. 48. Only Hilaria, among the female 
characters, need be mentioned here. She is a very faint 
foreshadowing of the witty young lady of Hyde Park, etc. 
(see Chap. IV, Sect. 40). 

Act I, Sc. 1. Not in the novel. Antonio here is shown 
residing at his father's house, and a suitor to Hilaria, not 
a stranger to both as in Riche. Shirley has added Gasparo 
and Felice, his lost mistress, and sister to Antonio. Gas- 
paro 's remarks on newsmongers suggest The Staple of 
News, but seem prior in date. Cf. also The Gamester, 
III, 3, The Example, IV, 1. Other attacks on news- 
mongers occur in News from the New World Discovered in 
The Moon, Wit without Money, II, 4, and The Fair Maid 
of the Inn, IV, 2. "A page to wait on him in quarto" 
(p. 9) is an example of a common figure. Cf. "A gentle- 
man in folio, ' ' III, 5 ; ' ' A very devil in decimosexto, ' ' The 
Gamester, IV, 1; ''I'll fight with you myself in this small 
volume Against your bulk in folio," Captain Underwit, 

* In Eckhardt's valuable and comprehensive study of foreign types 
in the drama, which came into the present writer's hands after the 
completion of this book, are noted apparently all the references to 
foreign manners, etc., in the Elizabethan plays to which its author 
had access. The reader must be referred to this volume for Shirley's 
allusions of such a nature. 



122 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

V, 1 (1635?) ; "Though bound up in decimosexto for car- 
riage, yet a wit in folio for cosenage," Mother Bombie, 
II, 1; "Whoreson proverb-book bound up in folio," The 
Two Angry Women of Abington, II, 1; "Your two little 
pages which are less by half than two leaves have more 
learning in them than is in all their three volumes," Sir 
Giles Goosecap, II, 1; "My dancing braggart in decimo- 
sexto," Cynthia's Revels, I, 1; "A slave in folio," The 
Turk, 1,2;" My little wit in decimosexto, ' ' The Unnatural 
Combat, III, 2 ; " One Bound up in decimosexto, ' ' The Maid 
of Honor, II, 2; "He lies in loose sheets, everywhere," Wit 
without Money, II, 3 ; "I had rather walk in folio, ' ' Love 's 
Cure, II, 2; "Bound in decimosexto," The City Nightcap, 
V, 1 ; " The rest were made But fools in quarto, but I find 
myself an ass in folio," Wit in a Constable, II, 1 (1639). 
See Adams, Materialien, XXVII, 80 (edition of The 
Turk). 5 

Infortunio's quibbling on the coldness of his heart (p. 11) 
seems possibly a satirical use of the metaphysical poets' 
employment of the conceit. Antonio's offer to him to kick 
Selina is reminiscent of passages in The Sisters, III, 2, 
The Gamester, II, 1, and The Constant Maid, II, 3. Cf. 
The Woman's Prize, IV, 5, The Woman Hater, II, 1, III, 1, 
Monsieur Thomas, IV, 2, The Captain, III, 3, Love's Cure, 
IV, 1, Microcosmus, III. For the eavesdropping of him 
and Gasparo (p. 10 ff.), see Chap. IV, Sect. 30 (cf. also 
p. 13 ff., II, 1, III, 2). In the novel Emilia's youthful 
suitor, Flavius, is loved by her from the first, but she does 
not become acquainted with him until she is betrothed to 
the old Phylotus. 

Gorgon's making Rufaldo believe himself rejuvenated 
(p. 14 ff.) is used again in regard to Basilius, The Arcadia, 

5 For the mention of "Knights of the post" (p. 9 ) , see under 
The Ball, II, 2. 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 123 

II, 1, in as far as the renewing of youth goes. It is related 
also to Fowler's being persuaded that he is dead, The 
Witty Fair One, IV, 4, V, 1, 3 (see under these scenes for 
analogues). Other rejuvenations occur in Wily Beguiled, 
p. 318, The Old Law, III, 2, May-Day, 1, 1, Albumazar, I, 2, 
Sicelides, II, 3, IV, 4, The Old Couple, IV, The Heir, III, 
Albovine, IV, 1 (1626), Love's Sacrifice, II, 2 (1630), A 
Fine Companion, II, 4 (1633), The Lady Mother, I, 2 
(1635), The Antiquary, I, 1 (1636). 

Act II, Sc. 1. Entirely Shirley's. For Antonio's 
eavesdropping, see under I, 1. Bubulcus' threats against 
Antonio are related to Montenegro's conduct, The Maid's 
Revenge, I, 2. Cf. also Kastril and Surly, The Alchemist, 
IV, 4. Cf . for the general situation, The Witty Fair One, 

II, 2; and see also The Constant Maid, II, 1. Device's at- 
tempt at bullying Courtwell on hearing from the Sister 
that the latter was a coward (Captain Underwit, IV, 3) is 
based apparently on Hilaria's trick in this scene. For 
Antonio's beating Bubulcus, see Every Man in his Humor, 
IV, 5, Every Man out of his Humor, V, 3, 4, The Poetaster, 

III, 1, The Fair Maid of the West, Part I, II, 3, Ram 
Alley, IV, 1. Note the cowardice of Scentlove, The Lady 
of Pleasure, V, 1. 

Sc. 2. Shirley's scene. In the novel Emilia is forced 
to betroth herself to the old Phylotus ; here her father tries 
to dissuade Selina, but she has a passion for Rufaldo, and 
is determined to marry him. A situation roughly paral- 
leling that here is found in the love of Phillis for the 
Cripple, The Fair Maid of the Exchange, p. 31. A hint 
for Cornelio's advice to his daughter (p. 27) occurs in the 
novel, p. 194. Shirley seems to have reversed in Selina 's 
anticipations (p. 29) the usual order of things when an 
old man is about to marry a young bride. A reference to 
Narcissus occurs, p. 32 (see Chronology, Chap. II). The 



124 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

intercepted letter (p. 32-33) occurs again in The Maid's 
Revenge, III, 1, The Wedding, IV, 1, and The Witty Fair 
One, II, 2. The device is also found in Love's Labor's 
Lost, IV, 1, 2, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, III, 1, Ham- 
let, V, 1 (reported), Othello, V, 2, King Lear, IV, 6, 
Every Man in his Humor, I, 1, The Fair Maid of the 
Exchange, p. 45, The Knight of Malta, I, 3 (pretended), 
Women Pleased, III, 2, A Wife for a Month, I, 2. 

For the madness of Infortunio, cf. Belfare in The Wed- 
ding, V, 1, and Ajax in The Contention of Ajax and 
Ulysses. Note that the Passionate Lord in The Nice Valor, 
Rosaura in The Cardinal, and the Niece in The Constant 
Maid pretend madness, as does Engine in Captain Under- 
wit. Infortunio 's rending the letter and his hallucinations 
are a recollection of the distracted Hieronymo and the 
petitions, The Spanish Tragedy, III, 13. Cf. also Pasquil 
and the bonds, Jack Drum's Entertainment, III. Other 
mad characters occur in the persons of Isabella in The 
Spanish Tragedy, Venelia in The Old Wives' Tale, Aber- 
dine in The Wisdom of Doctor Dodypoll, Titus in Titus 
Andronicus, Cassandra in Troilus and Cressida, Ophelia in 
Hamlet, Lear in King Lear, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, 
Timon in Timon of Athens, Pandora in The Woman in the 
Moon, Orlando in Orlando Furioso, Lucibell in Hoffman, 
Dowsecer in An Humorous Day's Mirth, Palemon in The 
Thracian Wonder, the mad persons in Northward Ho, Cor- 
nelia in The White Devil, Ferdinand and the Madmen in 
The Duchess of Main, the Madmen in The Honest Whore, 
Part I, Anne Ratcliffe in The Witch of Edmonton, Pasquil 
and Mammon in Jack Drum's Entertainment, Tangle in 
The Phoenix, the Madmen in The Changeling, Carracus in 
The Hog hath Lost his Pearl, Ricardo in The Coxcomb, 
the Gaoler's Daughter in The Two Noble Kinsmen, Alinda 
and the mad persons in The Pilgrim, Memnon in The Mad 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 125 

Lover, Sigismund and Gisbert in The Poor Man's Com- 
fort, Troubleall in Bartholomew Fair, the Richer Pennyboy 
in The Staple of News, Cassandra and Orestes in Goffe's 
Orestes, Overreach in A New Way to Pay Old Debts, 
Leonora in A Very Woman, Melander in The Lover's 
Melancholy, Penthea in The Broken Heart, Antharis in 
The Swisser (1631), Aramant in The Inconstant Lady 
(1633), (Genest, VIII, 445), Cloe and Gloriana in Love 
Crowns the End (1632), Fancy in The Floating Island 
(1636), Spinola in Imperiale (1639). 

Act III, Sc. 1, consists of a soliloquy by Rufaldo on his 
wedding-morn. 

Sc. 2 is partially founded on Riche. Jenkin's discovery 
of Selina in disguise fleeing from her father's house is 
based on a servant's witnessing Emilia's flight. However, 
Emilia's escape is made in male clothing supplied by her 
lover, Flavius, and she seeks refuge in his house. Also 
she does not flee on the morn of her wedding. For Selina 's 
disguise as a shepherd, see Chap. IV, Sect. 32. Cf. her 
seeking shelter among the shepherds with As You Like It, 
II, 4 (which is probably the source), and Sir Clyomon and 
Sir Clamydes, p. 516. Note also similar episodes in Cer- 
vantes' Galatea and in the pastoral portions of Don 
Quixote. For the sudden reversal of her feelings toward 
Rufaldo, cf . Serena in The Thracian Wonder, V, 2, and see 
A Woman is a Weathercock, III, 2. For Jenkin's eaves- 
dropping during the scene, see under I, 1. 

Sc. 3 differs from the novel in having Antonio present 
at the discovery of Selina 's flight. The latter too, is not 
seen by a servant, as she leaves the house. Shirley intro- 
duces another variation in Antonio's asking Hilaria's aid 
in the working out of his trick upon their respective 
fathers. Cf. Duke Frederick's discovery of the flight of 
Rosalind and Celia, As You Like It, II, 2. 



Sc. 4 is preparatory to Jenkin's subsequent urban and 
rural adventures. 

Sc. 5. The Compliment School is Shirley's addition. 
The Academy of Compliments, mentioned earlier in this 
chapter, is thus described in a list of "Choice poems with 
excellent translations by the most eminent wits of this 
age," appended to Moseley's edition of Osmond, the Great 
Turk (1657): "The Academy of Compliments wherein 
ladies, gentlewomen, scholars, and strangers may accommo- 
date their courtly practice with gentle ceremonies, compli- 
mental, amorous, high expressions and forms of speaking 
or writing of letters, most in fashion and additions of many 
witty poems and pleasant new songs." This applies as 
well to Shirley's scene as to Moseley's handbook. 

Various sources have been suggested for the general idea 
of the School of Compliment. Gosse believes that Shir- 
ley may have had in mind the Nubes of Aristophanes 
(Best Plays of James Shirley, p. xii). Schelling suggests 
for sources Epiccene and The Staple of News (Eliz. Dram., 

II, 287, note). The latter could not very well be a source 
since Love Tricks preceded Jonson's play. Miss Kerr 
mentions The Devil is an Ass, IV, 1, as a basis (In- 
fluence of Ben Jonson, p. 49). Cynthia's Revels, II, 1, 

III, 1, 3, V, 2, should be noted as a possible original for 
the scene also. In addition to the above, cf. May-Day, I, 1 
(Innocentio's wishing to be entered at an ordinary so as 
to learn to converse), IV, 1, and A Fair Quarrel, IV, 1 (a 
school of roaring is introduced in a shorter, less elaborate 
scene with less broadly applied satire). As a matter of 
fact, this scene of Shirley's is based on no one scene in a 
preceding play but apparently on all of them taken to- 
gether. 6 

«The idea is employed later in The New Academy, IV, 2 (1628?) 
The Sparagus Garden (1638) (Hoyden's being made a gentleman), 



127 

For the verses furnished Bubulcus, see Chap. IV, Sect. 
22. Koeppel (Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 56), follows the 
Shakespeare Allusion Book (I, 357), and Gifford's note 
(p. 56-57) in considering the line "0 that I were a flea 
upon thy lip!" (p. 43), not a parody on a line in Romeo 
and Juliet, II, 2. Donne's Flea and On a Flea on his 
Mistress' Bosom together with Drummond's Happiness of 
a Flea, and On the Same should be compared. As a mat- 
ter of fact, the various speeches or compliments furnished 
by Gasparo have undoubtedly some satirical application 
(cf. The Poetaster, III, 1). 

There may possibly be an allusion in the name of Delia, 
the chambermaid, to Daniel's sonnet-cycle, Delia. The 
dialogue between Gorgon and her (p. 46) was undoubtedly 
suggested by some romance. The speech made for the 
Country Magistrate (p. 45) is an early form of the more 
extended parody on addresses in courts of law which occur 
in The Traitor, III, 1, and Chabot, III, 2, V, 2. 

Orlando Furioso's speech (pp. 47-48) is a parody on 
the tearing of a passion to tatters, which is commonly met 
with in early Elizabethan tragedies. For the sort of 
speech here burlesqued see Tamburlaine to Theridamas, 
Tamburlaine, Part I, I, 2, and Tamburlaine, ibid., V, 2, 
Part II, II, 4 (on Zenocrate's death), Y, 1 (on the conquest 
of Babylon), Alphonsus in Alphonsus, King of Arragon, 
the Moor in The Battle of Alcazar, Orlando in Orlando 
Furioso, Furor Poeticus in The Return from Parnassus, 
Part II, IV, 2, Tactus in Lingua, V, 7, Hercules in The Sil- 
ver Age, [III], p. 145, [V], pp. 158-59, Muleasses in The 
Turk, II, 1, Borgias and Timoclea, ibid., IV, 1, Nero in 
Nero, IV, 5. Shirley has a similar burlesque in Love in a 

and The Noble Stranger, IV (1638) (Pupillus' being made a wit). 
Cf. also the "Academy" in The Variety, II, 1, by the Duke of New- 
castle and Shirley ( ? ) . 



128 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Maze, IV, 3. The uncertain dates of Goffe's Orestes, Rag- 
ing Turk, and Courageous Turk prevent one from doing 
more than suspect Shirley of hitting at the outrageous 
vaunting frequent in them. 7 

What the source of Ingeniolo's honeyed speech (pp. 
48-49) is cannot be determined. It seems evident that it 
is directed at the authors who made persons employ a dic- 
tion superior to their positions in society. Jenkin's desire 
for an "amorous pastoral" since he is going among the 
shepherds satirizes the conventional pastoralism of a 
slightly earlier day. This mild satire is rather peculiar as 
occurring here, when compared with the Shepherds' 
speeches in IV, 2. Cf. Captain Jenkin's visit to Bella- 
mont for verses in Northward Ho, IV, 1. Medulla's dia- 
logue with Gasparo has no recognizable application. 

The masquerading before the mad Infortunio which 
terminates the scene brings to mind The Nice Valor, II, 1. 
Cf. also The Mad Lover, IV, 1, and A Very Woman, IV, 2. 
More or less analogous incidents occur later in Shirley's 
Example, V, 1, and in The Lover's Melancholy, III, 3, 
IV, 2 (1628). The idea of damned souls in hell recalls 
Los Sueiios of Quevedo, Dekker's News from Hell, Dekker 
his Dream, Tom Telltroth, etc. (cf. Cam. Hist. Eng. Lit., 
IV, 403). Note also the medieval visions of hell. Infor- 
tunio 's quizzing Gasparo 's clients recalls Ralph and the 
inmates of Barbaroso's cave, The Knight of the Burning 
Pestle, III, 4. The characters which they give of them- 
selves seem based on Spark's description of hell, The 
Fleire, V (p. 54 ff.). 8 Cf. also The Honest Whore, Part I, 

i Note Marmion's Bravo, The Antiquary, V, 1, as perhaps deriving 
some speeches from this passage. 

s Suckabus in The Seven Champions of Christendom, III (1634) 
gives characters by opposites. Fowler in The Witty Fair One, V, 1, 
gives characters of those he meets in "heaven." 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 129 

V, 2 (characters of madmen), and If This Be Not a Good 
Play, the Devil Is in It, p. 351 ff. The subjects of the 
characters given to Infortunio are derived seemingly from 
Overbury's Characters, of which there were ten editions 
by 1622. Overbury's "devilish usurer " = Gasparo as "a 
usurer"; "A Chambermaid " = Delia, "a chambermaid"; 
"A Sergeant" = Ingeniolo, "an undersheriff" (cf. also 
Character 1, Bk. II, A Jailor, John Stephens the Younger 's 
Characters and Essays, and Earle, Microcosmography, 
XIX (A Constable) ; this book was circulated in MS.) ; "A 
Very Woman, ' ' and ' ' Her next part ' ' = Medulla, ' ' a coun- 
try justice's wife"; "An arrant horse-courser" = Bubul- 
cus, ' * a horse-courser " ; "A braggadocio Welshman ' ' = 
Jenkin, "damned for her valor." Only Gorgon, "a watch- 
man," and Oaf, "a younger brother," have no parallels 
in Overbury, but cf. the latter with his Elder Brother, and 
see Microcosmography, VIII (A Younger Brother). Cf. 
these characters and the ones given of the clients on their 
entrances during the scene with those listed in Chap. IV, 
Sect. 21. Note also Infortunio 's mention of Owen Glen- 
dower, and Jenkin 's claim of relationship with that worthy 
(p. 56) who, it seems, had to do with the devil (Henry IV, 
Parti, III, 1). 

Act IV, Sc. 1, is from the novel for the greater part. 
Shirley's chief contributions are Hilaria's knowledge of 
the true sex of her pretended stepmother, the introduction 
of Gorgon and Bubulcus, and the explanation of Antonio's 
disappearance by the supposition that he has gone in search 
of his sister. For Antonio's disguise, see Chap. IV, Sect. 
41 (cf. Gorgon disguised, V, 1, 3). Note that the substitu- 
tion of brother for sister occurs in Twelfth Night, and 
Love's Cure. Antonio as his sister suggests Thomas in 
Monsieur Thomas, IV, 6, 7, 8, etc. For Bubulcus' boasts, 
see under II, 1. For his "challenge," cf. Coomes and 



130 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Francis, The Two Angry Women of Abington, III, 2, and 
Innocentio and Giovenelli, May-Day, III, 1. Cf. his verses 

(p. 59) with those referred to in Chap. IV, Sect. 22. Gor- 
gon's parting words (p. 60) seem a quotation. For Ru- 
faldo's making love to the disguised Antonio, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 7. For Rufaldo's marriage to Antonio as Selina, cf. 
Hylas, and Thomas as Dorothy, Monsieur Thomas, V, 9 

(reported). See under V, 3, following. Cf. the false 
Selina 's forcing Rufaldo to grant the terms imposed with 
The Fawn, V, The Puritan, IV, 1, The Woman's Prize, 

II, 6, Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, II, 3, Ram Alley, 

III, 1, The City Madam, II, 2. Shirley's probable 
source is the granting of the disguised Emilia's conditions 
by the old sharper and money-lender Lurdo, in Law Tricks, 
III, [1] . There is a slight suggestion of the incident in the 
novel, however. Later occurrences of similar conditions 
are found in Love in a Maze, III, 1, The Northern Lass, 
I, 6 (1630), The Jealous Lovers, V, 8 (1632), A Fine Com- 
panion, II, 4 (1633), The Ordinary, IV, 3 (1634), Wit in 
a Constable, IV, 1 (1639). Koeppel derives Antonio's 
"little world of man" (p. 62) from the Gentleman's "his 
little world of man," King Lear, III, 1 (Shakespeare's 
Wirkung, p. 56). Shirley's only mention of Plrylerno's 
sending a courtesan to Phylotus to perform the duties of 
a wife is in Antonio's remark, "Keep a whore under my 
nose; nay, I will allow it" (p. 63). Antonio's going to 
bed with Hilaria in his feminine disguise is paralleled in 
Englishmen for my Money, V, 3, The Scornful Lady, V, 2, 
Amends for Ladies, III, 3. Cf. also The Arcadia, III, 4. 

Sc. 2 is Shirley's addition entirely. It is probably de- 
rived from As You Like It, II, 4, etc., as Gosse suggests 
(Best Plays of James Shirley, p. xii. Cf. also Schelling, 
Eliz. Dram., II, 287). Cf. The Maid's Metamorphosis, 
The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington, III, 2, etc., 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 131 

The Thracian Wonder, The Coxcomb, III, 3, The Pilgrim, 
V, 6, for more or less similar scenes. 9 The disguise of 
Felice recalls Angelica as a poor woman in Orlando Furi- 
oso, p. 101, while Selina's disguise as a shepherd suggests 
Neronis in Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes, p. 520 (see 
under III, 2). The celebration of the pastoral life by the 
three shepherds suggests Tasso's Aminta, I, 2 (chorus), 
II Pastor Fido, II, 5, IV, 9 (chorus), Mucedorus, IV, 3, 
The Maid's Metamorphosis, I (Silvio's contest with 
Gemulo), The Faithful Shepherdess, The Tempest, II, 1 
(Gonzalo's ideal commonwealth), The Bondman, IV, 2 
(Pisander on the golden age), Character 25, Bk. II, "An 
Honest Shepherd," in John Stephens, the Younger 's Es- 
says and Characters, and the Passionate Shepherd group 
of poems (for the last, see under Love's Cruelty, II, 2). 
Note The Brothers, IV, 2. The metre of this passage re- 
sembles that of parts of Fletcher's pastoral, but is less 
varied. The mad Infortunio's appearance recalls that of 
Alinda, mad and disguised as a boy, The Pilgrim, III, 6. 
Felice's curing him of his distemper (which takes place 
between this scene and V, 1) is based probably upon the 
cures wrought by Clorin in The Faithful Shepherdess. Cf . 
also the mad Orlando in Orlando Furioso, together with 
Eusanius and Radagon in The Thracian Wonder, Orlando 
in As You Like It, and Hippolito and Francisco in Humor 
out of Breath, as dwelling among the shepherds, or in the 
forest. Cf . also Serena and Palemon, The Thracian Won- 
der, V, 2. 

Scs. 3 and 4, which are not based on the novel, suggest 

9 Greg, Past. Poet, and Past. Dram., p. 408, commenting on the 
pastoral elements in Love Tricks, calls attention to the genuine 
pastoral tone and feeling in parts of this scene. The disguised 
sisters who become a shepherdess and shepherd and who are fol- 
lowed by their lovers suggest a pastoral influence. 



132 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

in Jenkin's search for Selina, Ascanio's seeking Eurymine, 
The Maid's Metamorphosis, II. The echo-dialogue cannot 
be traced back to any one original, notwithstanding Gif- 
ford's making its source The Hog hath Lost his Pearl, IV. 
Too many parallels exist, such as Shirley's own Narcissus 
(VI, 465, 480), The Arraignment of Paris, III, 2 (a vari- 
ation on the usual form), The Old Wives' Tale, p. 450, The 
Maid's Metamorphosis, IV, The Wounds of Civil War, III, 
4, The Iron Age, Part I, V, 1, Old Fortunatus, I, 1, If This 
Be Not a Good Play, the Devil Is in It, p. 325, Cynthia's 
Revels, I, 1, An Humorous Day's Mirth, p. 45 (quoted), 
The Return from Parnassus, Part II, II, 2, Law Tricks, V, 

1, The Turk, V, 1 (counterfeit), The Duchess of Main, V, 
3, Anything for a Quiet Life, V, 2. We find the device 
used later in The Queen's Exchange, II, 3 (1632), and 
Love's Mistress, I, 1, II, 1 (1634). Examples of it are 
found in Sidney's Arcadia, pp. 226-27 (end of Bk. II), 
and Stirling's Aurora. See also II Pastor Fido, IV, 8. 10 

Sc. 5, which owes nothing to Riche, is as Gifford says, 
probably drawn principally from Every Man in his Humor, 

II, 2, 3, III, 1, IV, 3, 4. Shirley uses the counterfeit sol- 
dier again in The Imposture, V, 1, and The Sisters, IV, 2. 
Parallels are found in Every Man out of his Humor, III, 1, 
The Blind Beggar of Bednal Green, II, 1, Sophronisba, II, 

2, The Atheist's Tragedy, II, 1, Wit at Several Weapons, 
I, 2, The Captain, II, 1, IV, 5, A Woman is a Weathercock, 

III, 3, The Roaring Girl, V, 1, The City Wit, II, 1 (1629). 
Gasparo's bringing back Gorgon's sight with kicking him 
suggests the recovery of Simpcox, Henry VI, Part II, II, 1. 
Gasparo's deciding to turn shepherd suggests Don Quix- 
ote's resolving to become a shepherd when he has ceased 

i° An article upon the echo-dialogue in Elizabethan literature is 
in preparation by Elbridge Colby, Proudfit Fellow in Letters in 
Columbia University. 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 133 

to be a knight-errant (Don Quixote, Part II, Chap. 
LXVII). 

Sc. 6 is not found in Riche. Bubulcus' boastful ac- 
count of his "slaying" of Antonio is based on Every Man 
out of his Humor, IV, 4, according to Miss Kerr (Influ- 
ence of Ben Jonson, p. 48 if.). Too many analogues, more 
or less close, occur, however, to allow one single source to 
be fixed. Among these are Henry IV, Part I, II, 4, V, 4 
(Falstaff's stories of the robbery, and the death of Hot- 
spur), The Fair Maid of the West, Part I, III, 2, Your 
Five Gallants, III, 5, Amends for Ladies, IV, 2, The Maid 
in the Mill, IV, 2 (Bustopha's story), Fuimus Troes, III, 
1 (1625). Later uses of the same incident occur in A Fine 
Companion, IV, 4, The Fool Would Be a Favorite, IV 
(1638). Shirley employs it again in The Imposture, III, 2, 
The Wedding, IV, 3, Honoria and Mammon, I, 1, and it 
also occurs in The Faithful Friends, III, 2, The Ball, IV, 1, 
and Captain Underwit, V, 1. Koeppel finds Bubulcus' 
contradictions as to his sword and rapier reminiscent of 
Bobadill, Every Man in his Humor, III, 1 (Ben Jonson 's 
Wirkung, pp. 135-36). For the arrest of Bubulcus as 
Antonio's murderer, together with V, 2, cf. Every Man out 
of his Humor, V, 3 (see also Hartwell's arrest, The Con- 
stant Maid, V, 1, 3). 

Act V, Sc. 1. The greater part of this scene is Shirley's. 
See under IV, 2, for various parallel pastoral scenes. In- 
fortunio's proposing to stay among the shepherds suggests 
As You Like It, II, 4, etc. His finding Selina like herself 
recalls the same play, V, 4. His desiring to court her as a 
mistress and thereby to forget himself seems drawn from 
As You Like It, III, 2 (Orlando's asking Rosalind as 
Ganymede to act as Rosalind). Cf. also Gallathea, IV, 4, 
and see The Doubtful Heir, IV, 2. For Gasparo and Gor- 
gon in this scene and V, 3, cf. Pheander in The Thracian 



134 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Wonder, IV, 1, and Autolycus, The "Winter's Tale, IV, V. 
Note the name "Mopsa" as assumed by Gorgon in disguise 
as derived from Sidney's Arcadia (see also The Winter's 
Tale). For Gorgon's feminine disguise, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 41, and also IV, 1. Gasparo's identification of Felice 
recalls Hubert and Jaculin, The Beggar's Bush, IV, 2. 
For his fortune-telling, cf. Lancelot in The Lovers' Prog- 
ress, II, 2, George-a-Greene in George-a-Greene, p. 261, and 
Pheander in The Thracian Wonder, IV, 1. Note Manly, 
The Witty Fair One, III, 4. When Selina reveals herself, 
it is Gasparo who is incredulous and suspects witchcraft, 
not Infortunio — who corresponds to Flavius in the novel 
(this is the sole use of Riche in this scene). For surprises 
of a similar nature, see Scs. 2 and 3, following, and The 
Imposture, III, 1. For the by-play between the shepherds 
and the disguised Mopsa, cf. Rufaldo and Antonio as 
Selina, IV, 1 (see also V, 3). This seems a reversal of 
Phebe and Rosalind in disguise, As You Like It, III, 5, 
V, 2. 

Sc. 2 is Shirley's. Miss Kerr derives Bubulcus' confes- 
sion of cowardice from Shift's, Every Man out of his 
Humor, V, 3 (Ben Jonson's Influence, p. 49). However, 
cf. Falstaff's admitting that he had lied concerning his 
robbery, Henry IV, Part I, II, 4. Antonio's surprise 
at hearing a report of his presence in the country par- 
allels Selina 's surprise near the end of the preceding 
scene. 

Sc. 3 is partly founded on the novel. For Jenkin's fear 
of being enchanted, see The Young Admiral, V, 3, and The 
Bird in a Cage, I, 1. Cf. Koeppel, Reflexe der Ritter- 
Romane im Drama, p. 219, note. There is a recollection 
in Jenkin's wanderings, perhaps, of Don Quixote on the 
Sierra Moreiia. Cf. Jocarello's interest in the prepara- 
tions for the shepherds' festival with Sancho Panza and 



135 

Comachio's wedding festivities, Don Quixote, Part II, 
Chaps. XX, XXI. 

The festival itself is a necessary part of nearly every 
pastoral and of many rustic scenes. Cf . The Arcadia, I, 3, 
Love's Metamorphosis, I, 2, Love's Labor's Lost, Y, 2, As 
You Like It, V, 4, The Winter's Tale, IV, 4, The Thracian 
Wonder, II, 2, The Faithful Shepherdess, I, 1, V, 5, The 
Two Noble Kinsmen, III, 5, Women Pleased, IV, 1, The 
Prophetess, V, 3, The Maid in the Mill, II, 2, The Witch of 
Edmonton, III, 4. Note also Argalus and Parthenia, I, 2, 
IV, 1 (1638). For the masque (p. 81) see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 18, and under The Grateful Servant, IV, 4, 5. The 
identification of Antonio and Selina is, of course, from 
Riche. However, in the novel the denouement comes at 
Alberto's house in the city. For another tangling of the 
identity of brother and sister, see Twelfth Night, V, 1. 
Antonio as Selina and Selina as Antonio confronting each 
other have parallels more or less close in The Comedy of 
Errors, V, 1, The Taming of the Shrew, V, 1, The Silver 
Age, II, 1, The Fair Maid of the Exchange, p. 84, Albuma- 
zar, IV, 7, 8, The Maid in the Mill, III, 2, and, later, A Fine 
Companion, V, 2 (1633). See also under Shirley's Im- 
posture, III, 1, 3, and note The Opportunity, IV, 1, The 
Sisters, IV, 5, The Witty Fair One, V, 3. Cf. the dis- 
covery of Antonio's true sex with Love in a Maze, V, 5, 
The Merry Wives of Windsor, V, 5, Epiccene, V, 1, The 
Honest Man's Fortune, V, 3. See also The New Inn, V, 1 
(1629), where a "boy" disguised as a girl turns out to be 
really a girl. For the use of the title of the play in this 
scene (p. 94) and in 2 (p. 87) (cf. also the epilogue), see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 31. For the resurrection of Antonio (as 
far as Cornelio is concerned) in this scene and the preced- 
ing, see Chap. IV, Sect. 29. 

As Baskerville points out (Mod. Lang. Notes, XXIV, 



136 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

100-101) the gulling of Bubulcus by Gorgon as Mopsa is 
drawn from Epicoene's confounding of La Foole and Daw, 
Epicoene, V, 1. Shirley repeats this incident in Love in a 
Maze, IV, 3, V, 5. Cf. also Shallow in The Heir, V, and 
note the influence of the present incident upon the for- 
tunes of Don Pedro, The Brothers, V, 3. 

The contest between comic characters as to which should 
speak the epilogue seems derived from Every Man out of 
his Humor (see also the later Staple of News). Comic 
epilogues occur in The Cardinal, The Imposture, The 
Brothers, The Sisters, No Wit, No Help Like a Woman's, 
Satiromastix, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, and in the 
later News from Plymouth (1635). 

II. The Maid's Revenge 

Whether The Maid's Revenge was Shirley's second play 
or only his second tragedy depends upon the interpretation 
put upon a passage in the dedication prefixed to the quarto 
edition. There Shirley calls it the "second birth in this 
kind which I dedicated to the scene." This has always 
been taken to mean that The Maid's Revenge was its 
author 's second play, but it seems more likely that ' ' kind ' ' 
refers to "tragedy" than to plays in general. However, 
no record of an earlier tragedy exists, unless the non- 
extant St. Albans be the play in question (see Chap. VI). 
To all intents and purposes, The Maid's Revenge may be 
regarded then as Shirley's earliest tragedy. 

The Maid's Revenge is based upon Antonio and Berin- 
thia, a Spanish History (in the index, more properly, A 
Portugal History) which is the seventh "history" in John 
Reynolds' Triumphs of God's Revenge against the Crying 
and Execrable Sin of Murder. Shirley makes quite free 
with his source in this play, Gifford to the contrary not- 
withstanding. He has introduced new material and 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 137 

changed the old to a considerable degree, although not so 
much as in Love Tricks. Characters are added, the prin- 
cipal one of which is Castabella, sister to Antonio, and in 
love with Sebastiano. There is a hint for her in Reynolds 
(p. 84) where Antonio's two sisters are mentioned as la- 
menting their brother's death. That is their only part in 
the story. Count de Montenegro, "a braggart," who is 
a suitor to Catalina, is Shirley's invention. In the scenes 
at Elvas he plays the part of Villandras in the story. 
Velasco's name is suggested by Reynolds' Belasco; Shir- 
ley's character is, however, Antonio's rival, not his friend, 
as in the novel. Sharkino's man, Scarabeo, is Shirley's 
addition. The Nurse who appears in the dramatis persona, 
but nowhere else, is not found in Reynolds. 

Certain changes are also made in the characters taken 
from the novel. Sforza, a "blunt soldier," is the Belasco 
of the tale more definitely characterized. Villandras is 
transferred from the faction of Sebastiano to that of An- 
tonio. Sarmiata, who appears as Sharkino in The Maid's 
Revenge, is here less a villain than a quack. The other 
personages of the play are practically the same as their 
originals in the story. 11 

The Maid's Revenge may be thus briefly outlined: 
Sebastiano invites his friend Antonio to Avero to meet 
his sisters, Catalina and Berinthia. Antonio falls in love 
with the younger, Berinthia. On asking her hand from 
her father, Vilarezo, he is refused on the ground that her 
elder sister must be married the first. In the meantime, 
Catalina has fallen deeply in love with Antonio. The lat- 
ter uses Catalina as a blind for his continued courtship of 
her sister, but she discovers the trick, and in order to get 
her rival out of the way, engages Velasco, another suitor 

11 It is worth noting, perhaps, that Castabella and Sebastian both 
are names of characters in The Atheist's Tragedy. 



138 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

of Berinthia 's, to abduct his mistress. Catalina then tells 
her father of Antonio's pursuit of Berinthia, who is then 
placed in her custody. Diego, Antonio's servant, who pre- 
tends to be a suitor to Ansilva, the sisters' maid, brings a 
letter to Berinthia from Antonio, who has returned to his 
home at Elvas. Berinthia loses the letter. It is found by 
Catalina, who reads it, and, fired with jealousy, plans with 
Velasco the details of her sister's abduction. Then in a 
soliloquy Catalina announces her intention of poisoning 
Berinthia just before the abduction. Diego, who has op- 
portunely overheard these plans, warns Berinthia, and then 
returns to tell Antonio. Antonio with some friends comes 
to Avero, and is admitted to Vilarezo's house in the dark, 
as Velasco. He carries away Berinthia to Elvas. Velasco 
arrives, finds the bird flown, and raises the alarm. 
Antonio is immediately suspected, so Sebastiano goes to 
Elvas. He finds his sister there, and she tells him of 
Catalina 's plot against her. He returns to Avero, but 
Catalina, who has been warned by her lover, Montenegro, 
of what Sebastiano will charge her with, defends herself 
to her father so skilfully that he refuses to believe Berin- 
thia 's story, and sends his son to revenge the stealing of 
his sister and to bring her back. Sebastiano returns to 
Elvas, challenges Antonio, and kills him. Velasco and Vil- 
landras, their respective seconds, are also slain. Berinthia 
is taken back to her father's house, where she meditates 
revenge. An opportunity comes when, after overhearing 
Montenegro bribing Ansilva to give Catalina a love powder, 
she substitutes poison for the powder. Then finding Se- 
bastiano asleep, she stabs him, but is detected by his page. 
As Berinthia gloats over her deed Catalina enters dying 
of the poison, and dragging Ansilva who is also poisoned. 
Berinthia taunts her sister and then stabs herself. Vi- 
larezo enters with his household and the sisters die, con- 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 139 

fessing their crimes. Then Sebastiano 's page discovers 
herself to be Castabella, sister to Antonio, who had fallen 
in love with Sebastiano at Elvas, and who now had followed 
him in disguise, since no other course was open to her to- 
ward the slayer of her brother. 

For analogues to Catalina, the wicked woman, Velasco, 
her accomplice, Berinthia, who is driven to crime by desire 
for revenge, Montenegro, the poltroon, and Sforza, the 
blunt soldier, see Chap. IV, Sects. 35, 34, 36, 47, 39. Diego, 
the clever servant, has been mentioned in the discussion 
of Love Tricks. Scarabeo, the servant of Sharkino, 
the "shirking [qy. "sharking?"] doctor," is the necessary 
companion of such a character in an Elizabethan play. 
However, he has so little clownery in his part (unlike most 
of his confreres) that he has not been listed among the 
clowns in Chap. IV, Sect. 46. Cf. Sharkino with Forobosco 
in The Fair Maid of the Inn, the Empiric Doctor in The 
Emperor of the East, and Pynto in The Queen, among 
others. Cf. Scarabeo with Peter in Gallathea, Miles in 
Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, Nano and Androgyno in 
Volpone (II, 1), Face in The Alchemist, and Firestone in 
The Witch. Didimo in The Young Admiral (IV, 1), and 
Carlo in The Bird in a Cage are Shirley's other characters 
of this sort. For Scarabeo 's personal appearance, cf. 
Camelion in The Wedding, Manes in Campaspe, Shadow in 
Old Fortunatus, Pachieco in The Woman Hater, Penurio in 
Women Pleased, the Slave in A Very Woman, III, 1 (de- 
scribed). Note also the Uncle's description of Onos, The 
Queen of Corinth, IV, 1. Sharkino and his man suggest 
Doctor Cleander (Doctor of Laws) and Carion in The Sup- 
poses. Sharkino suggests the Doctor in The White Devil 
(11,1). 

Act I, Sc. 1. Almost entirely based upon Reynolds' 
story. Shirley's only variation lies in that he does not 



140 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

make Sebastiano praise one sister more than the other. 
This scene is the source of The Brothers, I, 1 (Luys' taking 
Alberto home with him as a suitor to Jacinta). A similar 
incident occurs in The Opportunity, I, 2 (Aurelio as Borgia 
regarding himself and Cornelia), which is drawn from an- 
other source. 

Sc. 2. The first part of the scene is Shirley's. For 
Montenegro's boasts, see under Love Tricks, II, 1, IV, 1. 
Cf. his mention of the Donzel del Phebo (p. 107) with The 
Bird in a Cage, III, 2, The Gamester, III, 2, The Ball, I, 1, 
and see Koeppel, Reflexe der Ritter-Romane im Drama, 
p. 212, note. His reference to Rosiclere is paralleled in 
The Young Admiral, III, 1, The Bird in a Cage, III, 2, 
The Faithful Friends, II, 2 (cf. Koeppel, as cited above). 

Gifford derives Montenegro's allusion to Hercules and 
the Pygmies (p. 107) from Jonson's masque, Pleasure 
Reconciled to Virtue. However, this masque was produced 
in 1618-19, and was not printed until 1641, so, as Shirley 
in all likelihood was not present at its production, and 
probably saw no MS. copy, he would seem not to have used 
it here. A similar reference is to be found in The Oppor- 
tunity, II, 1. For Montenegro's presenting verses not his 
own to his mistress, cf. Bubulcus, Love Tricks, IV, 1. See 
also The Witty Fair One, III, 2. Montenegro on satire 
(p. 109) suggests the dialogue of Horace and Trebatius, 
The Poetaster, III, 2 (cf. also Castruchio [George Wither] 
in the early part of The Cruel Brother [1627]). Other 
criticism more or less analogous is to be found in The 
Humorous Courtier, II, 2, The Bird in a Cage, IV, 2, The 
Sisters, IV, 2, The Wedding, III, 2, Love in a Maze, II, 2, 
Every Man in his Humor, The Poetaster, I, 1, The Parlia- 
ment of Bees, Character V, The Noble Soldier, III, 2 
(1631), Love's Mistress, I, 1, II, 1 (1634). 

Vilarezo's determination not to marry his younger 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 141 

daughter before the elder is drawn from Reynolds, as is 
also Antonio's resolving to use Catalina as a blind. A 
parallel to the former point occurs in The Taming of the 
Shrew, I, 1. 

Act II, Sc. 1, owes very little to Reynolds. Catalina 's 
discussion of Antonio with Ansilva is an employment of a 
common device in Elizabethan plays which is akin to the 
Character (see Chap. IV, Sect. 21). Similar discussions 
are found in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, I, 2, The 
Merchant of Venice, I, 2, The Four Prentices of London, 
p. 91, A Challenge for Beauty, II, 1 (1635), The Malcon- 
tent, V, 3, What You Will, IV, 1, May-Day, II, 1, Amends 
for Ladies, III, 3, Catiline, II, 1, Monsieur Thomas, I, 3, 
The Captain, I, 2, The Honest Man's Fortune, V, 3, The 
Wild Goose Chase, III, 1, The Elder Brother, I, 1, The 
Fair Maid of the Inn, III, 1, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, I, 2, 
Randolph's Amyntas, I, 1, The Combat of Love and 
Friendship, I, 2 (1636). 12 Shirley employs the device 
again in The Cardinal, I, 2. See also The Faithful Friends, 
II, 2. 

There is a very slight suggestion in the novel of the 
stolen meetings of Berinthia and Antonio (see God's Re- 
venge, p. 75). There they meet secretly early in their ac- 
quaintance, and Catalina is not told of their love. Diego's 
courtship of Ansilva here is a variation of Shirley's. 

Sc. 2 is Shirley's principally. Catalina 's eavesdropping 
(cf. Ill, 1, 5, V, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30), Antonio's 
pretense of love for her (see Chap. IV, Sect. 6), and Casta- 
bella's letters (p. 121) are Shirley's introduction. Diego's 
starting to work into Ansilva 's confidence (drawn from 
Reynolds) is used again in The Constant Maid, I, 2. 
Diego's suit to Ansilva is from the novel also, but in the 
play he personally asks leave to visit her, and not through 

12 See also Deloney's Jack of Newbury, Chap. I. 



142 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

his master, as in the story. Moreover Antonio is not pres- 
ent at Diego 's pressing his suit. Reynolds ' elaborate leave- 
taking has been cut down and simplified by the dramatist. 
Antonio departs for Elvas, not for Lisbon, as in the story. 

Sc. 3 is entirely Shirley's. Catalina's arousing Velas- 
co's jealousy is strongly reminiscent of Iago and Othello 
in Othello. Cf. also The Doubtful Heir, IV, 2, The Royal 
Master, III, 2, The "Witch, III, 2, Love's Sacrifice, III, 3. 

Sc. 4 is likewise Shirley's. Here Castabella falls in love 
with Sebastiano from her brother's description of him (cf. 
Love's Cruelty, I, 1). 

Sc. 5. The placing of Berinthia in the custody of her 
sister is from the novel, but there it does not occur until 
after her correspondence with Antonio has been discovered. 
Cf. also Imogen and the Queen, Cymbeline, I, 1. Yelasco's 
following Catalina's advice (Sc. 3) in asking for Berin- 
thia 's hand is Shirley's addition. For Velasco's eaves- 
dropping, see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. 

Act III, Sc. 1, is based on Antonio and Berinthia, but 
contains a number of deviations from it, together with some 
additions. The discovery of Antonio's letter to Berinthia 
results from the latter 's losing it, not from Catalina's acci- 
dentally finding it in her sister's pocket, as in the novel. 
Berinthia, as has been noticed, is already in confinement in 
the play. Diego in this scene eavesdrops and overhears 
Catalina's plots, instead of learning them from Ansilva, as 
in Reynolds. The letter, too, is here the first that passes 
between the lovers. For the intercepted letter, see Love 
Tricks, II, 2. See Chap. IV, Sect. 30, for Diego's eaves- 
dropping. For the betrayal of the plot, cf. The Two Gen- 
tlemen of Verona, III, 1 (a reversal). The plot of Cata- 
lina and Velasco for the abduction of Berinthia has been 
drawn on by Shirley in The Brothers, IV, 2. 

Sc. 2. Shirley has based this scene upon the merest 



143 

hint in the novel. Reynolds does not introduce Sarmiata 
at this juncture; his first appearance is after the flight of 
Berinthia, and then he furnishes the poison with which 
Catalina despatches Ansilva. By virtue of his claims to 
reading the past (p. 143) Sharkino falls among Shirley's 
characters who pretend to dealings with the supernatural, 
and hence for analogous scenes, Chap, IV, Sect. 24, must 
be consulted. For the comic fortune-telling, cf. The Sis- 
ters, III, 1, The Lovers' Progress, II, 2, The Variety, II, 1, 
The Supposes, I, 2, The Merry Wives of Windsor, IV, 5, 
Antony and Cleopatra, I, 2, The Pilgrim, V, 4, The English 
Moor, IV, 5. For the reference to a poisoned fig (p. 141), 
cf. The Court Secret, I, 1, IV, 1, The Brothers, III, 2, 
Henry V, III, 6, The Fleire, IV, The White Devil, IV, 1, 
The Duchess of Main, II, 3, The Noble Soldier, V, 4 (1631). 
A non-extant tragedy called The Spanish Fig was acted 
about 1602. In the preceding list of references, the allu- 
sions may sometimes be to a contemptuous gesture and not 
to a method of administering poison. The episode of 
Montenegro and the servingmen is apparently based on 
some popular story. The entrance of a Maid with a urinal 
(p. 145) parallels The Wise Woman of Hogsdon, II, 1 (see 
also Monsieur Thomas, II, 5, A Wife for a Month, II, 1, 
The City Wit, III, 1, The Virgin Widow, V, 1). For the 
"High Germans" (p. 147), see under The Opportunity, 

III, 1. Scarabeo's eating spiders and toads (pp. 147-148) 
seems the source for Quibble's similar diet, the effects of 
which he removes with his medicines, in The Virgin Widow, 

IV, 1. 

Sc. 3, which is very short, is based on Reynolds. The 
poison which Ansilva obtains in the novel, however, is to 
operate within a limit of three days, and not twelve hours, 
as here. Shirley, too, has only one attempt at poisoning 
Berinthia, while the novelist has two. 



144 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Scs. 4, 5, and 6, which represent Berinthia's flight, in 
so far as Antonio's part is concerned, are founded on the 
novel, as are also Vilarezo's suspicions concerning his com- 
plicity, and Sebastiano's pursuit of him. Shirley differs 
from Reynolds in having Berinthia's escape discovered im- 
mediately, and not the next morning. Velasco's contem- 
plated abduction of her is Shirley's addition. Ansilva's 
mistaking Antonio for Velasco recalls May-Day, III, 1. 
The stealing away of , Berinthia has been drawn on by 
Shirley in The Imposture, II, 3. Cf . The Guardian, III, 5, 
for an abduction and The Variety, V, 1, for an attempt at 
the same. Sebastiano's situation in regard to his friend's 
conduct has been paralleled by that of Honorio, The Im- 
posture, II, 3. 

Act IV, Sc. 1, is entirely Shirley's up to the entrance 
of Sebastiano and Montenegro. The greater part of the 
remainder of the scene is based upon Reynolds' save that 
Montenegro plays the part of Villandras in the novel. 
Reynolds does not mention Villandras by name as one of 
the two companions of Sebastiano who are admitted to the 
castle. The falling in love of Sebastiano and Castabella 
(which is Shirley's) suggests Romeo and Juliet, in so far 
as they are members of two hostile families. Sebastiano's 
conflict between love and paternal duty, or ideals of honor 
(cf. also Scs. 3 and 4), suggests that in the later Brothers, 
III, 1 (see Chap. III). 

Sc. 2 is drawn chiefly from the novel. Montenegro's 
warning Catalina of the charges against her and Velasco 
is Shirley's. The dramatist is responsible, also, for Vi- 
larezo's command to Sebastiano to kill Antonio. Reynolds 
gives Sebastiano a choice between law and force as methods 
of recovering Berinthia. 

Sc. 3 is in part from Antonio and Berinthia. In the 
story Sebastiano does not remain at Antonio's castle as he 



145 

does in the play, but returns to Elvas to await Villandras' 
return. The banquet and the presence of the ladies at the 
giving of the challenge are, therefore, Shirley's. In the 
novel, the challenge is written, and not oral as in the play. 
The only hint for the scene is Vilarezo's letter to his son. 
For the masque see Chap. IV, Sect. 18. The manner of 
giving the challenge is copied in The Court Secret, III, 3. 
It suggests a recollection of Henry VI, Part II, II, 1, or The 
Captives, I, 2. Note also The Distresses, IV, 1 (1639). 
Sforza seems to refer to "my old lad of the castle," Henry 
IV, Part I, I, 2, in his "Knights of the castle" (p. 170). 

Sc. 4 differs from the tale in that female spectators view 
the duel. Shirley has Castabella and Berinthia watch the 
combat from the castle walls, and has Velasco, who has 
accompanied Montenegro back from Avero, take part in 
the fighting after the latter has saved himself. The duel 
between two persons who are connected by blood or by love, 
as are Sebastiano and Antonio, occurs in Shirley 's Im- 
posture, III, 3, Court Secret, IV, 2, Coronation, II, 2, 3 
(no combat actually), and Example, V, 2. Cf. The Lovers' 
Progress, II, 3. Similar incidents are found in The Honest 
Man's Fortune, IV, 2, The Maid in the Mill, I, 1. See 
also The Island Princess, IV, 3. The source of Shirley's 
management of the scene may be Love's Cure, V, 3. Here 
we have two ladies of hostile houses, each of whom loves the 
other's brother. The feud is to be decided by a combat be- 
tween the two lovers. However, a reconciliation is effected 
through the women, thereby differing from The Maid's 
Revenge. The begging for the lives of characters dear to 
them, by interrelated characters occurs also in The Royal 
King and Loyal Subject, V, 1. Montenegro's part in the 
duel suggests Love Tricks, IV, 6 (cf. also The Wedding, 
IV, 3). 

Act V, Sc. 1, is an addition of Shirley's. For Casta- 



146 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Delia's disguise as a page, see Chap. IV, Sect. 32. Her en- 
tering the service of her former lover, Sebastiano, as a 
page, is Fletcherian. Cf. Lelia in The Faithful Friends, 
Leocadia and Theodosia in Love 's Pilgrimage, Julia in The 
Two Gentlemen of Verona, Euphrasia in Philaster, Aspatia 
in The Maid's Tragedy, Urania in Cupid's Kevenge, Alinda 
in The Pilgrim, Cleanthe in The Obstinate Lady (1638- 
39). Note also Imogen in Cymbeline and Maria in The 
Bashful Lover (1635). See under The Court Secret, V, 1, 
for parallels to the sister who loves her brother's slayer. 
Pulcheria in The Sisters, is a character modeled on Casta- 
bella. 13 

Sc. 2 is Shirley's. In the novel Berinthia's revenge 
does not extend to her sister. For her eavesdropping, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 30. The love-potion or powder (procured 
in III, 2) is found again in The Arcadia, IV, 3 (cf. The 
Humorous Lieutenant, IV, 4). Berinthia's exchanging 
the two powders is perhaps derived from the exchanged 
swords in Hamlet, V, 2. 

Sc. 3. The death of Sebastiano is drawn from the novel 
excepting that there the page, "Philippo," is not in his 
master's room when the latter is stabbed, and there is no 
evidence of the murder's taking place early in the morn- 
ing. The remainder of the scene is Shirley's. The fate 
of Ansilva may indeed have been suggested by the manner 
of her death in the novel, but there Catalina poisons her, 
while Sebastiano is pursuing Antonio and Berinthia. Her 
death is not indicated in the play. In the novel, Catalina, 
after having been struck by lightning, dies a penitent, con- 
fessing her sins, and receiving the forgiveness of her sis- 
ter. Berinthia does not kill herself in the novel, as in the 

13 Note in Howell's Familiar Letters, I, 317, a mention of 
"Madame of Lorain" following "Monsieur" to Brussels through hos- 
tile territory in a page's disguise. 



147 

play, but conceals the death of Sebastiano as long as she 
can. She is finally condemned to perpetual imprisonment. 
Sharkino drops out of the play after the one scene in which 
he appears, whereas Reynolds has Sarmiata hanged. For 
the death of Catalina by poison and the accompanying 
agonies, see Chap. IV, Sect. 11. In the final slaughter 
there is a suggestion of the later Love's Cruelty, V, 2. 
For the use of the title of the play in the text (p. 184), 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 31. 

It has been shown in the preceding pages that Shirley 
did not follow his source very closely. The plots which 
he borrowed, he revised to suit his taste. Not only does 
he alter the incidents, but the personages as well. These 
latter, often, he not only renames, but recharacterizes. 
New incidents and new characters, too, are added in each 
play. Nearly all these changes tend toward a further 
complication of the plot. 14 In Love Tricks, for instance, a 
new pair of lovers is introduced, as well as two new suitors 
for Selina. In The Maid's Revenge another pair of lov- 
ers is added, and each sister is given a suitor who either 
is altogether an invention of the dramatist's, or else is not 
mentioned as a lover in the novel. Humorous scenes are 
added, which in the case of Love Tricks, at least, represent 
an additional complication. 

Shirley's additions are drawn from various sources, of 
which plays furnish by far the greater number. Scenes 
and parts of scenes are derived from the playwrights with 
more or less alteration, and characters, too, are modeled 
on those in earlier dramas. 

i* In these plays the source is a novel. Note, however, that in 
The Opportunity and The Young Admiral (which are from the 
Spanish) the original plays have undergone simplification, especially 
in the case of the latter. Shirley seems in them to have emphasized 
character, rather than incident, as in the originals. 



148 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

The majority of Shirley's borrowings from plays, how- 
ever, cannot be traced to one direct source. A score or 
more of analogues to a single passage often present them- 
selves, of which nearly any one might plausibly be con- 
sidered its source. In such cases it seems that the dramatist 
did not draw on one single play or passage in a play, but 
rather on the aggregate of all such plays or passages. In 
other words, the particular device had become conventional, 
and so was used by Shirley with probably no reference to 
any single earlier play. In several cases analogues in 
plays have been cited for incidents which rest directly upon 
the main source of the play under discussion. The exist- 
ence of these parallels proves Shirley often to have selected 
and retained those parts of the original story which had 
been brought on the stage more or less frequently already. 
An incident or character must be popular in order 
to be so often repeated as to become conventional, and the 
knowledge of this fact seems to have been the principle 
on which he acted, both in the introduction of new material 
and the retention of the old. 

But while we can find dozens of parallels for a number 
of the incidents and characters in these two plays, it can 
not be said that either resembles any one play very closely. 
There must then be some sort of originality in them de- 
spite their author's use of hackneyed material. This orig- 
inality is obviously in the combination of material, and 
in the little variations from the conventional which Shir- 
ley has made here and there in his incidents or characteriza- 
tions. 

In some instances the use of the same incident or char- 
acter several times over in Shirley's plays has been noted. 
This is an important point. The author not only borrows 
from others individually and collectively, but from him- 
self as well, and of these debts, as of the others, it can be 



LOVE TRICKS AND THE MAID'S REVENGE 149 

said nearly with equal propriety, that he often so recom- 
bines and retouches his borrowings from himself, as to 
make them appear at least not to be mere slavish copies. 

Judging from the two plays examined in this chapter, 
the following statement of Shirley's methods of dramatic 
composition may be drawn up for use in the study of his 
later plays: He found his plot, cut it down, often leav- 
ing conventionalized elements, and altered it to his taste. 15 
Then he introduced incidents, slightly altered, even scenes, 
sometimes, from earlier plays, or more often conventional 
incidents from what was the common stock of all dramatists 
of the time. Additional complications are created through 
the introduction of new characters and the doubling of 
the love-affairs. New motives too are brought in through 
the new characters, as well as through the new incidents. 
Humorous material, including comic scenes, satirical 
touches (such as burlesques and general criticism) often 
allusions to contemporary events, is added. The characters 
are shifted about, and re-characterized to suit the altered 
plot, generally imitating at the same time either a par- 
ticular figure in a preceding play, or a conventionalized 
character. Only occasionally do we find an incident or a 
personage who can not be paralleled. These revised and 
added elements he combined with those in the original plot, 
in such a way as to give the casual reader the impression 
of a considerable degree of originality — the originality, in 
fact, consisting of management, not of materials. 

15 In the case of the two plays discussed, the plots were drawn 
from novels, but as sources for later plays, we have other dramas, 
either foreign or domestic, and in some cases it may be that 
Shirley invented his plots. Whatever the origin of the plot may 
be, however, the treatment does not vary save in the case of The 
Arcadia. 



CHAPTER VI 

THE TRAGEDIES 

I. St. Albans 

The Tragedy of St. Albans was entered in the Stationers' 
Register as Shirley's, February 14, 1639-40. No other di- 
rect reference to it has ever been found. There is no ex- 
tant edition, and there is no record of its ever having been 
licensed for performance. It may be, however, that Ma- 
lone through an oversight or a defect in the original MS. 
failed to note the licensing of St. Albans in his extracts 
from Herbert 's Officebook. It is practically certain, never- 
theless, that the play was never printed, and it has been 
commonly thought that it was produced in Ireland. 

As a matter of fact, however, it is not unlikely that 
St. Albans is Shirley's earliest tragedy. In the dedica- 
tion to the 1639 edition of The Maid's Revenge, the author 
says of that play, ''It is a tragedy which received encour- 
agement and grace on the English stage; and though it 
came late to the impression, it was the second birth in this 
kind which I dedicated to the scene." Plainly, "kind" 
refers to "tragedy" and not to plays (that word 
or an equivalent nowhere occurs in the passage), as has 
been always supposed. Hence we have a tragedy of Shir- 
ley's produced before February 9, 1625-26 (the date of 
the licensing of The Maid's Revenge) and after February 
10, 1624r-25 (when Love Tricks was licensed) to account 
for. All of Shirley's other tragedies can be accounted for 

150 



THE TRAGEDIES 151 

(unless we accept Fleay's elaborate but groundless dissocia- 
tion of The Politic Father and The Politician), except St. 
Albans. Furthermore, we know that Shirley had spent 
several years in, or near, the town of St. Albans, both as 
an Anglican clergyman, and as a schoolmaster. Therefore, 
what more probable than that he dramatized an event con- 
nected by tradition with his place of residence? 

As to the subject of St. Albans, a few theories which 
seem obviously wrong have been advanced. Fleay sug- 
gests that the tragedy treated the life of Clanrickard, Earl 
of St. Albans, or that of Francis Bacon, Viscount St. 
Albans (Biog. Chron., II, 244). Nissen conjectures that 
the town itself or the life of Hubert de Burgh, Earl of 
St. Albans (Fleay's Clanrickard) furnished the material 
for the play (James Shirley, p. 8). 

Nissen 's second hypothesis appears most nearly to state 
the probable facts in the case. It seems likely that St. 
Albans was a sort of miracle play — influenced by The Vir- 
gin-Martyr of 1620 (printed 1622), — based on the life and 
death of Alban, the first British martyr, who suffered 
under Diocletian. In support of this theory are the facts 
that Shirley resided in or near the town of St. Albans 
which derives its name from the early saint, and that at 
the end of the sixteenth century legends concerning him 
were still connected with the town as is shown in Henry VI, 
Part II, II, l. 1 Furthermore, Shirley 's clerical profession, 
his conversion to Catholicism, and the influence of The 
Virgin-Martyr, together with the existence of St. Patrick 
for Ireland make still stronger the presumption that this 
tragedy dealt with a saint's life. As a possible source 
Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica, Bk. I, Chap. 7, may be cited 
(see under The Maid's Revenge for a word on the dating of 

iFor an account of the foundation of churches to commemorate 
St. Alban, see the Victoria History of Hertfordshire, II, 483 ff. 



152 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

that play, and under St. Patrick for Ireland on other mir- 
acle plays). It should be remembered also that William 
Rowley had touched upon the martyrdom of St. Alban in A 
Shoemaker a Gentleman (acted 1610; printed 1638 ). 2 

In any event, whether the play was produced in 1625, 
as appears most probable, or in Ireland between 1636 and 
1639-40, it seems likely from the date of its entry that 
Shirley, finding the tragedy about to be published on his 
return from Ireland, suppressed it, possibly on account of 
dissatisfaction with the play (a fact which, when compared 
with his criticism of The Maid's Revenge as an early play 
in the dedication affixed to it, would point toward its early 
composition). 

II. The Traitor 

There seem to be no adequate grounds for the ascrip- 
tion of the earliest version of The Traitor to Anthony 
Rivers, a Jesuit who died in Newgate. Both Dyce and 
Ward consider the play Shirley's. However, Halliwell 
(Diet. O. E. Plays, p. 250) follows Motteux (The Gentle- 
man's Journal, April, 1692), as quoted by Dyce (Account, 
xv ), in ascribing the tragedy to Rivers, and in giving 
credit for alterations in it to Shirley. Halliwell has a 
separate entry for the 1692 edition of The Traitor with its 
changes and assignment to Rivers. Schipper believes that 
doubts had been thrown on the true ownership of the play 
in Shirley's time and that to these doubts Atkins' verses 
prefixed to the first quarto refer (James Shirley, p. 45). 
It seems likely, however, that had there been any contro- 
versy then over the authorship, some less dubious allusion 
to it would be extant. 

2 There is always the possibility that the entry of 1639-40 in the 
Stationers' Register may refer to an attempt to reissue Rowley's 
old play under a different title and with Shirley as author. 



THE TRAGEDIES 153 

The source of The Traitor has been generally considered 
to be Novel XII of the Heptameron, which is a version of 
the story of the assassination of Duke Alessandro de Medici 
by his cousin, Lorenzino. While it is possible that the first 
hint for the plot of the play came from this story, it is 
practically certain that some Florentine historian, or his- 
torians, furnished the dramatist with material. Certainly 
the Heptameron was not the sole source. No names are 
given in the French story. The dramatis persona of the 
tragedy gives ''Alexander, duke of Florence," and ''Lo- 
renzo, his kinsman and favorite. ,, Furthermore, the 
play corresponds more closely to the historian's account 
of the murder than to the novelist's. What historian Shir- 
ley drew upon is a matter of doubt, for they agree fairly 
closely in their narratives. Segni's Istorie Fiorentine 
seems, however, the most probable source, since it contains 
a germ for the relationship of Amidea and Sciarrha in the 
play. 3 

An outline of the plot of The Traitor follows: 
Lorenzo, favorite and kinsman of Alexander, Duke of 
Florence, plots to depose the latter. The Duke is warned 
of his machinations, but Lorenzo convinces him of his 
rectitude. On the Duke's behalf, Lorenzo asks Sciarrha, 
a noble, to bring his sister Amidea to the Duke's bed. 
Sciarrha spurns the proposition and the two plot the death 
of Alexander. After Lorenzo's departure, Sciarrha opens 
the matter to Amidea as a test. She proves virtuous. The 
Duke visits Sciarrha, and, although his impending fate is 
presented in an allegorical masque, he is not warned, but 
goes to meet Amidea. She repulses his advances, and 
threatens suicide. The Duke becomes repentant. Lorenzo 's 
contemplated treason is revealed by Sciarrha, but the 

3 For an account of the reign and death of Alessandro de Medici, 
see Napier, Florentine History, Bk. Ill, Chap. I. 



154 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

former again successfully deceives Alexander and continues 
in favor. Sciarrha then slays Pisano who has jilted Amidea 
as he is on his way to marry Oriana whom his friend, 
Cosmo de Medici, has resigned to him. Lorenzo, who has 
again influenced the Duke to the pursuit of Amidea, offers 
Sciarrha his life in return for Amidea 's honor. Sciarrha 
on refusing is told that he will be killed and his sister rav- 
ished. He then agrees. However, he slays her after test- 
ing her virtue and fortitude, and sends her body to the 
Duke's palace where it is laid on a bed. The Duke enters, 
embraces the corpse, and discovers Amidea to be dead. As 
he mourns, he is set upon by Lorenzo and Petruchio, the 
latter 's accomplice. Sciarrha enters and fights with Lo- 
renzo. Each slays the other. A guard which Petruchio 
has summoned and most of the characters yet alive enter 
and Cosmo is proclaimed Duke. The comedy is furnished 
by the fears of Depazzi, a cowardly accomplice of Lorenzo 's. 

The characters in the tragedy agree with the historical 
personages thus: Alexander, Duke of Florence = Ales- 
sandro de Medici; Lorenzo = Lorenzino de Medici; Ami- 
dea — Luisa Strozzi, Caterina Ginori, and Laldomine Sal- 
viati ; Cosmo = Cosimo de Medici ; Sciarrha = Lorenzino 
and Scoronconcolo ; Florio = Giuliano de Medici ; De- 
pazzi = Francesco de' Pazzi; Petruchio = Scoronconcolo. 4 
Francesco and Lorenzo de' Pazzi are mentioned by Segni 
(Istorie Fiorentine, p. 226) as intimates of Alessandro. 
After the assault on Guiliano Salviati, for which he was 
imprisoned, the former fled the city. He was a friend of 
Lorenzino 's (Varchi, Storia Fiorentina, V, 70). 

The historical events around which The Traitor was built 
may thus be summarized: 

* A speech in the first edition of the play (IV, 2) is given to 
"Piero." Scoronconcolo is sometimes called Piero di Gioanabate 
(Napier, Florentine History, Bk. Ill, Chap. 1). 



THE TRAGEDIES 155 

Alessandro besought Lorenzino to make an assignation 
for him with the latter 's aunt, Caterina Ginori. Finally 
Lorenzino agreed to bring a meeting about. He told the 
Duke that it was arranged, and that the two were to meet 
secretly at his house for the sake of the lady's reputation. 
Lorenzino left the Duke in his chamber after securing 
his sword and fastening the door, and with a bravo called 
Scoronconcolo (whom he had prepared to commit a mur- 
der for him) set upon the Duke and killed him in spite 
of his struggles. The two then fled. Cosimo de Medici 
who was not quite eighteen, was chosen to succeed Alessan- 
dro (Napier, Florentine History, Bk. Ill, Chap. 1. Based 
on Varchi). 

Segni (Istorie Florentine, p. 314) says that Lorenzino 
promised to procure his sister Laldomine, widow of Ale- 
manno Salviati, for the Duke, who wished for a son whom 
he could be certain was his own. Lorenzino promised to 
bring the two together when his mother was absent. She 
had left Florence on the day of the assassination to visit 
her younger son, Guiliano. 

Varchi (Storia Fiorentina, V, 106) says that Luisa 
Strozzi, to whom Alessandro made advances, was poisoned 
by her relatives in order to save her from him. 5 

From these accounts Shirley has built up his play with 
the aid of various lesser points which will be indicated in 
the course of the discussion. 

Dessoff in his comparison of The Traitor and Enciso's 
Los Medicis de Florencia is of the opinion that the two 
dramatists used a common source ( Studien zur vergleiehen- 
den Litteraturgeschichte, I, 421 ff.). In spite of the rad- 

s In Appendix C (II, 221, note), the Heptameron, Bibliophilist's 
Society edition, the following additional authorities on the murder 
of Alessandro de' Medici are given: Nerli, lib. XII; Adriani, lib. I; 
Ammirato, lib. XXXI; Paulus Jovius, Hist., lib. XXXVIII; Guazzo, 
Istorie, fol. 159. 



156 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

ical difference in plot of the plays, he finds eight or nine 
parallels, which are: an attempt to kill the Duke, which 
is prevented by a lady, Cosimo's resignation of a mistress 
to a friend, the taking of an oath to free Florence from 
Alessandro, a lady's threatening to stab herself, the Duke's 
letting Lorenzo read the letter accusing him of treason, 
a scrap of conversation between the Duke and Lorenzo, 
the promising of an assignation to the Duke and his assassi- 
nation when separated from his retinue, Cosimo's being 
proclaimed Duke and marrying the lady whom he had 
renounced. However, on separating the parallels due to 
a common use of Florentine history from those which seem 
to come from some other source, it seems hardly safe to 
assume that such generally used romantic material as the 
latter class consists of would be necessarily drawn from 
any single given original. 

The historical Lorenzo seems to have had no definite 
motive for his crime. He may, it seems from the his- 
torians, have been actuated by ambition, patriotism, per- 
sonal revenge, or innate depravity. Shirley makes the 
first-named his prime motive. In the play he is a fine 
example of the Machiavellian false favorite (see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 33). Shirley's Cosmo, while he is noted for his old 
head on young shoulders (I, 1), and while he seems a 
trifle cold-blooded in his giving up Oriana (II, 2, p. 127), 
is not much like the crafty Cosimo of history who became 
ruler of Florence at less than eighteen, and very speedily 
its despot. In Alessandro, Shirley has drawn the typical 
conventional weak lustful sovereign (see Chap. IV, Sect. 
37). Cf. Sciarrha and Floria with Melantius and Diphil- 
ius in The Maid's Tragedy. Depazzi (cf. Depazzi in The 
Humorous Courtier) is the conventional poltroon, and 
Petruchio, the villain's tool (for both, see Chap. IV, Sects. 
33, 47). Amidea is the steadfastly virtuous heroine, while 



THE TRAGEDIES 157 

Oriana, who is yielded to Pisano by the friendly and poli- 
tic Cosmo, is akin to the deserted mistress (as in Ami- 
dea). 

Act I, Sc. 1. Cosmo's renunciation of Oriana after 
learning of Pisano 's love for her (see also II, 2, IV, 2) 
is drawn from The Grateful Servant, IV, 2 (cf. Chap. IV, 
Sect. 4). Petruchio's owing his escape from the gallows 
as referred to here and in V, 2, is based on Lorenzino's 
having saved Scoronconcolo from that fate (Napier, Flor- 
entine History, Bk. Ill, Chap. 1 ; Varchi, Storia Fioren- 
tina, V, 268). Cf. Bosola as having been released from 
prison through the Cardinal, The Duchess of Main, I, 1. 
The scene is entirely Shirley's as are all those dealing with 
the subplot of Cosmo and Oriana. 

Sc. 2 is based partly on the fact that Alessandro is 
said to have been often warned against Lorenzino, who used 
great boldness in defending himself and who pretended to 
have been a spy on the Florentine exiles (Napier, Floren- 
tine History, Bk. Ill, Chap. 1). An analogue occurs in 
I, 1, of The Cruel Brother, in which the Duke shows dis- 
trust of Lucio, his favorite. The letters from Castruchio 
in exile are suggestive of Davenant's Castruchio, "a satir- 
ical courtier," who stands by and comments during the 
scene. Cf . Lorenzo 's defense of himself with that of Melan- 
tius, The Maid's Tragedy, IV, 2. The mention of the death 
of Cardinal Ippolito de Medici (who was Duke Alessandro 's 
cousin, not his brother as Shirley has it) and of Cardinal 
Salviati's alliance with the Florentine exiles against the 
Duke show Shirley to have drawn on some other account 
than that of the Heptameron. 

Act II, Sc. 1, may have been suggested remotely by the 
French novel or may be based upon the historians. Lo- 
renzo presses the Duke's suit for Amidea to Sciarrha as, 
in the other accounts, Alessandro himself urges Lorenzino 



158 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

to bring him and Caterina or Laldomine together. There 
is a strong suggestion of an indebtedness to Lussurioso and 
Vendice, The Revenger's Tragedy, I, 3, and Vendice and 
Gratiana, ibid., II, 1. Parallels occur in The Gamester, I, 

I, Edward III, II, 1, Women beware Women, II, 1, A Wife 
for a Month, I, 1. Koeppel (Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 
57) considers there to be an influence of Measure for Meas- 
ure in this scene and those following which show the Duke 's 
pursuit of Amidea. The parallel must be admitted, but 
Tourneur's influence is stronger than Shakespeare's, espe- 
cially in the scene under discussion. 

The plotting of the Duke's death is doubtless derived 
from Lorenzino's preparation of Scoronconcolo for Ales- 
sandro's murder (cf. the later Politician, III, 1). The 
patriotism and love of liberty simulated by Lorenzo may 
have been suggested to Shirley by Lorenzino's Apologia. 
The comparison of Lorenzo by Sciarrha with the ancient 
Romans is based on the terming of Lorenzino, the "Flor- 
entine Brutus" (Segni, Istorie Florentine, p. 345). Cf. 
also V, 3, Alessandro 's ' ' Thus Caesar fell by Brutus. ' ' See 
under The Young Admiral, I, 2. 

The conversation between Sciarrha, Florio, and Amidea 
is based on The Revenger's Tragedy, II, 1. Similar scenes 
between near relatives, one of whom acts, or pretends to 
act, as a pander occur in The Gamester, II, 1, Edward III, 

II, 1, A Woman Killed with Kindness, V, 1, The Re- 
venger's Tragedy, II, 1, The Second Maiden's Tragedy, 

II, 1, Women beware Women, II, 1, The Loyal Subject, 

III, 4, A Wife for a Month, I, 1, The Cruel Brother, III, 
1. 

The test has been discussed in Chap. IV, Sect. 15. Here 
possibly it is a reminiscence of Vendice 's trial of his mother, 
Gratiana, The Revenger's Tragedy, II, 1. Gratiana urges 
Lussurioso 's suit to Castiza, who pretends her mother is 



THE TRAGEDIES 159 

not herself, the course taken with Sciarrha by Amidea, who 
warns Florio from him as being a changeling. Cf. The 
Gamester, II, 1. 

Sc. 2 (see I, 1). Cf. Morosa's part in this scene with 
that of Gratiana in The Revenger's Tragedy, II, 1. 

Act III, Sc. 1. For trial scenes, see Chap. IV, Sect. 17. 
Mock trials paralleling that in this scene are to be found in 
The Family of Love, V, 3, The City Madam, III, 1, The 
Staple of News, V, 2, The Northern Lass, V, 8, Holland's 
Leaguer, IV, 5 (1632), Covent Garden, V, 6 (1632), Lady 
Alimony, II, 5 (1635), Trapolin Supposed a Prince, I, 2 
(before 1640). Cf. also Falstaff as the King, Henry IV, 
Part I, II, 4. Rogero's absorption in his part recalls Chilax 
as Memnon, The Mad Lover, II, 2. Note also Rawbone's 
apprehensions as to the future, in The Wedding, IV, 3, in 
connection with Depazzi's terror. Rogero's speech recalls 
that made by Gasparo for the Country Magistrate, Love 
Tricks, II, 5, and harks forward to those of the Advocate, 
Chabot, III, 2, V, 2. The mention of the plot "to poison 
his highness' hunting-saddle" is possibly drawn from the 
supposed plot of Dr. Lopez against Queen Elizabeth in 
1594 (Lee, D. N. B., XXXIV, 132 ff.). 

The relations of Depazzi, Rogero, and Lorenzo, as shown 
in this scene and I, 2, are reminiscent of Lothario, Bora- 
chio, and Castruchio in The Cruel Brother. Depazzi, how- 
ever, drops out of sight in IV, 1, whereas in Davenant's 
play Lothario slays the Duke. Lorenzo's letter to Depazzi 
parallels Richard's instructions to Buckingham, Richard 
III, III, 5. 

Sc. 2. The masque may be derived from The Revenger's 
Tragedy, V, 3, although not used as a vehicle for a crime 
as there (see under The Cardinal, III, 2). The allegorical 
masque occurs again in The Coronation, IV, 3. Note also 
the play within the play, Hamlet, III, 2. See Chap. 



160 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

IV, Sect. 18. For Amidea's intention of converting the 
Duke, see under The Grateful Servant, III, 4. 

Sc. 3. Cf. The Custom of the Country, I, 2, with the 
Duke's presence in Amidea's chamber. His courtship of 
her suggests that of Titus Martius in The Faithful Friends, 
IV, 4. Marcus Tullius, like Sciarrha and Florio, is con- 
cealed in the room. Their eavesdropping also suggests that 
of Vendice and Hippolito, The Revenger's Tragedy, III, 
4 (see also Chap. IV, Sect. 30). Parallels to the Duke's 
attempt on Amidea and her defense are noted in Chap. 

IV, Sect. 9. Her use of a weapon in defending herself 
(indirectly) is paralleled in The Duke's Mistress, V, 1, 
St. Patrick for Ireland, IV, 1, Edward III, II, 2, Lust's 
Dominion, V, 3, Westward Ho, IV, 2, A Woman Killed 
with Kindness, V, 1, Sophronisba, IV, 1, The Triumph of 
Honor, Sc. 4, The Custom of the Country, I, 2, The Lit- 
tle French Lawyer, IV, 6, Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, 

V, 4, The Second Maiden's Tragedy, V, 1, Catiline, II, 1, 
The Poor Man's Comfort, IV, All's Lost by Lust, I, 1 (re- 
ported), The Lovesick Court, IV, 2, The Novella, V, 1, 
The Jealous Lovers, III, 10 (1632). Note also The Exam- 
ple, III, 1. 

For the conversion of the Duke, see Chap. IV, Sect. 10. 
An especially close parallel occurs in Edward III, II, 1, 2, 
in which the King first repents of his pursuit of the Coun- 
tess of Salisbury, then resumes it, and again repents. Cf. 
Lorenzo's convincing the Duke of his loyalty in the face 
of Sciarrha 's accusations with Melantius concerning the 
charges made by Calianax, The Maid's Tragedy, IV, 2. 
Observe Shirley's skilful use of surprise during the entire 
scene (see Chap. III). 

Act IV, Sc. 1, opens with a typical villain's soliloquy 
such as occurs, for instance, in The Cardinal, V, 1, The 
Imposture, V, 3, The Court Secret, III, 2, Dick of Devon- 



THE TRAGEDIES 161 

shire, IV, 1, The First Part of Jeronymo, p. 460, Lust's 
Dominion, I, 2, 4, Henry VI, Part III, III, 2, V, 6, Kich- 
ard III, I, 1, 3, Othello, I, 3, II, 1, 3, V, 1, King Lear, 
I, 2, V, 1, Two Tragedies in One, I, 1, 3, 4, etc., Vol- 
pone, III, 1, Sejanus, II, 2, III, 2, V, 1, 4, The Dumb 
Knight, I, 1, The Turk, I, 2, 3, II, 2, 3, III, 4, IV, 1, 
The Knight of Malta, I, 1, The Deserving Favorite, II, 

I, A Maidenhead Well Lost, I, 1 (p. 105), Imperiale, I, 
3. 

As far as the falseness of the repentance goes, Lorenzo's 
penitence may be paralleled in The Insatiate Countess, III, 
Valentinian, II, 6. 

Sc. 2. For Amidea's renunciation of Pisano, cf. I, 1, 

II, 2. Sciarrha's halting the bridal procession for a quar- 
rel closely parallels I, 1, of The Little French Lawyer. 
Analogous incidents occur in The Shoemaker's Holiday, 
V, 2, The London Prodigal, III, 3, The Insatiate Coun- 
tess, I, A "Woman is a Weathercock, II, 1, Women beware 
Women, IV, 3. See also The Old Law, V, 1 (comic), The 
Two Noble Kinsmen, I, 1, The Maid of Honor, V, 2. For 
Death as Amidea's husband, cf. The Witch of Edmonton, 

III, 3. See also The Constant Maid, IV, 2. 

The conditions under which Lorenzo guarantees Sciar- 
rha's immunity from punishment for the death of Pisano 
recall Measure for Measure, II, 4 (cf. Koeppel as earlier 
cited). See also under II, 1, and under Love's Cruelty, 

III, 3. Note Frederick and Valerio, A Wife for a Month, 

IV, 2, and the King and Leucothoe, The Heir, IV. 
Lorenzo's suggestion that the Duke might " discharge his 
Duchess with a quaint salad" recalls the vengeance of the 
President of Grenoble in Novel XXXVI, the Heptameron 
(the source of a part of Love's Cruelty). The elevation 
of Amidea hinted at parallels Frederick's offer to Evanthe, 
A Wife for a Month, I, 1, and points forward to The 



162 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Duke's Mistress, II, 2. Note also The Wise Woman of 
Hogsdon, V, 4. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Sciarrha's presentation of his predica- 
ment to Amidea seems derived from Measure for Measure, 
III, 1. Her death at the hands of Sciarrha to prevent any 
harm befalling her seems suggested by that of Luisa Strozzi, 
as related by Varchi, Storia Fiorentina, V, 106. Ana- 
logues more or less close are found in The Distracted Em- 
peror, V, 3, The Second Maiden's Tragedy, III, 1 (planned 
by Govianus but executed by the Lady), The Cruel Brother, 
V, 1, The Distresses, IV, 1 (a threat) (1639?). 

Sciarrha's resolve to kill his sister when she is ''nearest 
Heaven" is the antithesis of Hamlet's attitude toward 
Claudius, Hamlet, III, 3 (cf. The Cardinal, IV, 1), 
The Triumph of Death, Sc. 6, The Maid's Tragedy, V, 2, 
The Jealous Lovers, III, 9 (1632) . Satiromastix, p. 249 ff., 
The Bloody Banquet, IV, 3, parallel Sciarrha's resolution. 

Sc. 2. Lorenzo's stabbing Alexander's picture and his 
allusion to the belief as to bewitching a person by sticking 
pins in his image or his picture recall references to this 
superstition in The Whore of Babylon, p. 226, The Witch, 
V, 2, The Virgin-Martyr, III, 1, GofiVs Orestes, III, 6. 
Cf. Howell's Familiar Letters, I, 52. Lorenzo's reference 
to the Duke's "youth and beauty" are touches of the poet's, 
for Alessandro de Medici was the son of a mulatto slave 
and possessed the quadroon's complexion with woolly hair 
and thick lips. He was, however, a young man at the 
time of his death. 

The arrangements for Amidea 's visit to the Duke in 
secret were drawn doubtless from the stipulations for the 
meeting of Alessandro, and Laldomine Salviati or Caterina 
Ginori (Napier, Florentine History, Bk. Ill, Chap. 1; 
Segni, Istorie Florentine, p. 314; Varchi, Storia Fioren- 
tina, V, 268). The same occur in The Grateful Servant, 



THE TRAGEDIES 163 

IV, 4, The Witty Fair One, IV, 3, 4, V, 3, The Gamester, 

III, 1, IV, 1, V, 2, The Lady of Pleasure, IV, 1. Cf. also 
The Gentleman of Venice, II, 1, III, 3, IV, 3. The same 
stipulation lies at the bottom of the complications of The 
Wedding. Cf., for parallels, All's Well that Ends Well, 

IV, 2, Measure for Measure, IV, 1, The Fair Maid of the 
West, Part II, II, 1, Sophronisba, IV, 1, The Insatiate 
Countess, II, The Witch, II, 2, III, 1, The Bloody Banquet, 

II, 3, The Parliament of Love, III, 3, The City Nightcap, 
I, 1, Albovine, III, 1. 

Sc. 3. Amidea's body "discovered on a bed prepared 
by two Gentlewomen" is a distinct borrowing from "Ven- 
dice, with the skull of his betrothed dressed up in tires," 
The Revenger 's Tragedy, III, 4. The Duke 's entrance and 
approach to the corpse are from the same play, with per- 
haps a hint from The Atheist's Tragedy, IV, 3. Parallels 
are found in The Distracted Emperor, II, 1, Sophronisba, 

III, 1, The Second Maiden's Tragedy, V, 2, The Duke of 
Milan, V, 2. 

The Duke's desiring death after he discovers Amidea 
to be lifeless suggests the offer of his life by the Duke 
to Foreste and Lucio in The Cruel Brother, V, 1. They 
do not take advantage of the offer, however. A closer 
parallel occurs in Alphonsus, Emperor of Germany, IV, 2. 
Mentz in grief cries out for death; Alexander stabs him, 
excusing himself with, "It was my duty to obey you, sir." 
The Duke's "Oh spare me to consider; I would live a lit- 
tle longer," is reminiscent of Mentz 's "0, stay awhile." 
Whether Shirley, or the author of Alphonsus, is the debtor 
is uncertain as the priority of that play to The Traitor is 
considered doubtful. The Duke's cry of "Treason!" when 
he is attacked is based on Alessandro's exclamation of "Ah 
traditore!" (Segni, Istorie Florentine, p. 315). The dis- 
missal of his train agrees with the historical accounts in 



164 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

that Alessandro took only two followers with him. One 
he dismissed; the other after waiting without Lorenzino's 
house grew tired and went home (cf. Napier, Florentine 
History, Bk. Ill, Chap. 1). 

Sciarrha's death seems drawn from that of Foreste in 
The Cruel Brother, V, 1. Both die at the hands of the 
two Dukes' instruments,. Castruchio and Lorenzo, respec- 
tively. Castruchio does not fall as does Lorenzo but, like 
Petruchio, attempts to escape, and is brought in as a pris- 
oner at the end of the play. Cosmo assumes control of 
the situation, as does Dorido. Cf. Lysippus' taking charge 
of affairs in The Maid's Tragedy, V, 2. The death of 
Lorenzo is unhistorical, of course. In reality he survived 
the death of Alessandro about twelve years. Both he and 
his accomplice escaped safely to Venice. 

III. Love's Cruelty 

Two sources are offered for Love's Cruelty by Lang- 
baine: Novel XXXVI of the Heptameron of Marguerite 
of Navarre, and Novel 6, Decade III, of the Heccatomithi 
of Cinthio (Dramatic Poets, pp. 480-81). 6 The French 
version occurs in English as Novel 58, Part I, of Painter's 
Palace of Pleasure, under the title of A President of 
Grenoble. Miss Ott is of the opinion that it is probable 
that Shirley used this translation (Die Italienische Novelle 
im Englischen Drama, p. 113). Painter's translation is so 
faithful to the original, however, as to preclude any posi- 
tive statement on that point. 

As a matter of fact, however, it seems nearly certain 
that, while certain positions of Love's Cruelty are based 
upon A President of Grenoble or its original, we must go 
for the general source of the tragedy to A Woman Killed 

6 See also Les Cent Nbuvelles Nouvelles, Novel LX VII. 



THE TRAGEDIES 165 

with Kindness. The two plays correspond in details of 
the main plot which do not occur in the novels, and there 
is furthermore, a resemblance in their underplots. 7 It 
appears probable, indeed, that Shirley worked over Hey- 
wood's play, introducing the French story into his re- 
written form of the earlier tragedy for the purpose, per- 
haps, of emphasizing Bellamente's regard for his honor. 

It should be noted that between 1625 and 1636 nine 
plays of Heywood's were produced at the Cockpit to one 
at any other theatre, and that during this time Shirley 
wrote nearly exclusively for the Queen's Men at this thea- 
tre. This fact, together with the popularity of Heywood's 
plays, makes it extremely probable that Shirley was ac- 
quainted with the older man's most famous play. As to 
Queen Marguerite 's novel, we find Shirley in two other plays 
using stories which are to be found in her collection, so 
it seems likely that he utilized the novel for certain scenes 
of his tragedy. 

Love's Cruelty may thus be briefly summarized: 
Bellamente praises his friend Hippolito to Clariana, his 
betrothed, so highly, and in such a manner as to arouse 
her curiosity concerning him. She visits Hippolito 's apart- 
ments to see what sort of man he really is. Being called 
away by a message from the Duke, Hippolito locks her in. 
Bellamente is sent by his friend — who does not know who 
his visitor is — to release the lady. His jealousy is awak- 
ened, but he is appeased. The marriage of Bellamente and 
Clariana takes place. Clariana and Hippolito now yield 
to their passions, and are discovered together by a servant 
who reports to his master what he has seen. Bellamente, 

7 The source of the story of Mountford and Acton in A Woman 
Killed with Kindness is the Palace of Pleasure, Part II, Novel 30. 
Shirley's underplot, however, is nearer Heywood's play than it is to 
Painter's tale. 



166 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

after assuring himself of the couple 's guilt, by a ruse makes 
the servant think he has been mistaken. After some de- 
bate, he allows the pair to go unpunished. A little 
time after, Clariana, hearing of Hippolito's intended mar- 
riage sends for him secretly. On their meeting, she at- 
tempts to dissuade him from his marriage. Bellamente 
who surprises them together suspects a renewal of their 
previous intimacy. As he rushes out to alarm his serv- 
ants, Clariana stabs Hippolito, who, in turn, kills her. 
Bellamente, on returning, falls dead. Hippolito dies of 
his wound after Eubella, his betrothed, has arrived. The 
underplot deals with the Duke's pursuit of Eubella, the 
virtuous daughter of Sebastian, an old honest lord, whose 
favor the Duke tries to win by heaping favors upon him. 
Hippolito, who is a former lover of hers, attempts to win 
her for the Duke, but, as a result of her firm defense of her 
chastity and his own experiences with Clariana and Bella- 
mente, is converted and receives her hand from the Duke 
who also repents. At the end of the play, after Hippolito's 
death, the Duke proposes marriage to Eubella, and she 
seems not unfavorable to his suit. 

Shirley's characters correspond thus with Heywood's: 
Bellamente = Frankford ; Hippolito = Wendoll ; the Serv- 
ant = Nicholas ; Clariana = Mrs. Frankford; and in the 
underplots, Sebastian = Sir Charles Mountford ; the Duke 
and Hippolito — Sir Francis Acton ; Eubella = Susan 
Mountford. 

These characters are of a more or less stereotyped nature 
as they appear in Love's Cruelty. Bellamente, the high- 
minded lover and husband, Hippolito, the wild young man 
who repents, the lustful sovereign who repents likewise, 
Clariana, the wicked woman, Sebastian, the blunt honest 
old man (for the last four, see Chap. IV, Sects. 38, 37, 35, 
39, and 10), and Eubella who successfully defends her 



THE TRAGEDIES 167 

chastity through all sorts of trials are familiar figures. 
Bovaldo, the loose-moraled old courtier, who is an added 
character of Shirley's, is to some extent reminiscent of 
Sophronius in The Second Maiden's Tragedy. 

It is a significant fact that Shirley has laid the scene of 
his play in Italy at a petty court, and has made some of his 
characters courtiers. He has also changed the motivation 
of the husband's refusing to take vengeance upon his 
wife and her lover. Heywood's Frankford relies upon 
the guilty parties' consciousness of their guilt as a punish- 
ment, while Bellamente is influenced in addition by the 
desire of keeping his dishonor concealed. These two im- 
portant changes in the play are directly in line with the 
practice of romanticizing plays by laying their scenes at 
court in a foreign country, by making their characters 
persons of rank, and by introducing various elements of the 
Spanish code of honor. 

Act I, Sc. 1. Hippolito's refusal to see Clariana, as re- 
lated to her by Bellamente, recalls Roderigo's similar re- 
fusal, The Spanish Gipsy, I, 5. Cf. also Nevill and Scud- 
more, A Woman is a Weathercock, I, 1. 

Sc. 2. For social criticism, expressed directly and indi- 
rectly in the discussion of means of rising at court, or of 
life at court, see III, 1, following, and note The Royal 
Master, IV, 3, The Gentleman of Venice, II, 1 (Bellaura), 
The Grateful Servant, I, 1, 2, II, 1, III, 4, V, 1, The Hu- 
morous Courtier, IV, 1, V, 3 (in a broad way the entire 
play is an attack on court life), The Bird in a Cage, I, 1, 
II, 1, The Lady of Pleasure, IV, 2. Note that The Ball 
was expurgated before its acting was allowed, because of 
direct satire upon certain courtiers. See also As You Like 
It, II, 2 (indirectly), All's Well that Ends Well, II, 2, 
Timon of Athens, II, 2, The Old Law, II, 1, Every Man 
out of his Humor, II, 1, The Woman Hater, I, 3, Valen- 



168 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

tinian, III, 2, The Elder Brother, V, 1, The Renegado, 
II, 1 (pimping as a road to preferment), The Picture, I, 
2, The Emperor of the East, I, 2, May's Cleopatra, II, 
The Fancies Chaste and Noble, II, 1, 3. The Duke's at- 
tempt to make Sebastian an agent in securing Eubella's 
compliance with his desires suggests Lorenzo and Sciarrha, 
The Traitor, II, 1. Cf. also A Woman Killed with Kind- 
ness, IV, 2. Examples of the honoring of a father by a 
prince who designs the daughter's ruin are to be found in 
The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington, III, 1, The 
Second Maiden's Tragedy, II, 3, Match Me in London, IV, 
The Virgin Widow, I, 1. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Hippolito's fencing-lesson in his apart- 
ment should be compared with Bobadill and Matthew, 
Every Man in his Humor, I, 4. Clariana's visit and her 
remaining in Hippolito's lodgings (II, 3), recall Constan- 
tia at Don John's apartment, The Chances, I, II. For the 
allusion to Lindabrides, a lady of easy virtue in The Mir- 
ror of Knighthood, cf . Honoria and Mammon, I, 2, and see 
Koeppel, Reflexe der Ritter-Romane in Drama, p. 212, note. 

Sc. 2 is somewhat reminiscent of I, 1, A Wife for a 
Month. Hippolito corresponds to Soranzo, the Duke to 
Frederick, and Eubella to Evanthe. There is also a cer- 
tain resemblance to The Traitor, II, 1. For courtship by 
proxy, see Chap. IV, Sect. 3. Hippolito's enumeration of 
the delights which would be Eubella's should she yield to 
the Duke's suit belongs to the "invitation to love" group 
which seems to date from Marlowe's Passionate Shepherd 
to his Love, and Donne's Bait. Analogues occur in The 
Doubtful Heir, IV, 2, The Grateful Servant, IV, 5, The 
Lady of Pleasure, V, 1, The Triumph of Beauty, pp. 336- 
37, Captain Underwit, II, 2, Mucedorus, IV, 3, Friar Ba- 
con and Friar Bungay, p. 165, Lust's Dominion, I, 1, The 
Blind Beggar of Alexandria, p. 17, Volpone, III, 6, The 



THE TRAGEDIES 169 

Turk, V, 3, The Elder Brother, III, 5, IV, 3, Believe as 
You List, IV, 6, Microcosmus, III, Hannibal and Scipio, 
IV, 5 (1635), Cartwright's Siege, II, 6, V, 4 (1637), The 
Obstinate Lady, IV, 2 (1638-39). See also Shirley's Nar- 
cissus (Poems, VI, 477-79), and note the joys of the rustic 
life, Love Tricks, IV, 2. Burlesques occur in The Lady 
of Pleasure, V, 1, Captain Underwit, II, 2, Wit in a Con- 
stable, II, 1 (1639). This passage of Shirley's in Love's 
Cruelty is remarkable in being entirely in prose. Florid 
verse is the usual medium of expression. For Bubella's 
defense of her virtue, see Chap. IV, Sect. 9. A particular 
parallel, however, occurs in A Woman Killed with Kind- 
ness, V, 1 (Sir Francis Acton and Susan). Shirley's com- 
pliment to Jonson in this scene should be compared with 
the dedication to The Grateful Servant and the prologue 
to The Sisters. Steevens' assertion that Shirley's com- 
mendatory verses to Love's Sacrifice (printed 1633) con- 
tain an attack on Jonson is not founded on fact (see the 
Shakespeare Variorum, I, 405). Prynne is certainly 
Shirley's mark. Cf. A Prologue to the Alchemist Acted 
there [Ireland] (VI, 490-91). 

Sc. 3 has no analogues save the remote one noted under 
II, 1. 

Act III, Sc. 1. See Chap. IV, Sect. 26, for the drinking- 
scene. The entrance of fiddlers, or other entertainers, to 
scenes of conviviality, as here, is found in The Gamester, 
II, 2, as well as in The Jew of Malta, IV, 5, A Cure for a 
Cuckold, IV, 1, Wit in a Constable, V, 1 (1639). For 
the satirical dialogue between Bovaldo and Sebastian upon 
rising at court, see I, 2. 

Sc. 2. A Woman Killed with Kindness, II, 3, seems the 
source. Both scenes begin with a soliloquy by the false 
friend (Wendoll and Hippolito, respectively) in which each 
laments his treachery toward the trusting husband. In 



170 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

each play the false wife then enters, and at her sight the 
lovers' compunctions vanish. In both plays the woman 
mentions her husband's absence from home, and desires 
her lover to stay to keep her company. In Love's Cruelty, 
however, it is Clariana who makes the advances, whereas 
Wendoll does the lovemaking in A Woman Killed. The 
entrance of Nicholas in the latter play and the rousing of 
his suspicions, together with his voicing of them in a solilo- 
quy, are used in Shirley's tragedy in the appearance of 
Hippolito's Page and Bellamente's Groom, the latter of 
whom suspects Hippolito of undue familiarity with his 
mistress. Their conversation also recalls that of Jenkin 
and Cicely, A Woman Killed, IV, 4, in which, as in Shir- 
ley's scene, the mistress is suspected of infidelity to her 
husband, and the voicer of the suspicions is rebuked by his 
companion. 

Sc. 3. Sebastian's outbreak at the Duke's proposal re- 
calls that of Helvetius, The Second Maiden's Tragedy, II, 
3, and of Valerio, A Wife for a Month, IV, 2. Cf. the 
Duke's suggestion as to Eubella's ransoming her father 
with Lorenzo's offer to Sciarrha, The Traitor, IV, 2, V, 1. 
An analogue occurs in The Distracted State, II, 1 (1641). 

Sc. 4 has a partial parallel in A Woman Killed, yet prob- 
ably the source is Queen Marguerite's novel. In III, 2, 
of Hey wood's play, Frankford is informed by Nicholas of 
his wife's infidelity, while Bellamente is told of Clariana 
and Hippolito by a servant who had discovered them in 
the act. Bellamente's soliloquy near the beginning of the 
scene is nearly a paraphrase of Frankford 's in A Woman 
Killed, as cited above. Shirley differs from the French 
story in having the servant discover the couple almost in 
his master's presence, and to report immediately what he 
has seen. Note The Fatal Dowry, III, 1. The placing of 
the servant at the foot of the stair with arms to prevent 



THE TRAGEDIES 171 

an escape comes from the French. For the calling a mes- 
senger with bad news a " raven/ ' cf. Nobody and Some- 
body, p. 316, Macbeth, I, 5, The Raging Turk, IV, 3, A 
New Wonder : A Woman Never Vexed, III, 1. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. The false wife and her lover in bed at 
the beginning of this scene is Shirley's, but cf. 'Tis Pity 
She's a Whore, V, 5. The song of For He Did but Kiss 
Her, quoted by Clariana, occurs in Robert Jones' First 
Book of Songs and Airs (1601), according to Ebsworth 
(quoted by Bullen, Old Plays, IV, 384). The song is 
mentioned also in The Grateful Servant, V, 1, and Every 
Woman in Her Humor, II, 2. In both A Woman Killed 
with Kindness, IV, 6 (reported), and the French novel the 
lover and his mistress are surprised by the latter 's husband. 
Cf. also The Malcontent, II, 5 (narrated), The Atheist's 
Tragedy, IV, 5, A Christian Turned Turk, p. 231, The 
Fatal Dowry, IV, 2, Revenge for Honor, III, 1, The Elder 
Brother, IV, 4 (comic), Love's Sacrifice, V, 1. After the 
entrance of Bellamente the Heptameron is the chief source. 
The lover concealed by the husband while the servant en- 
ters and helps search for him, the dismissal of the last 
convinced that his eyes had deceived him, the subsequent 
departure of the lover unharmed — these are all from the 
French. Note that in A Woman Killed, III, 2, Frank- 
ford suggests that Nicholas' eyes may have deceived him. 
The permitting the guilty couple to escape, however, seems 
more due to Hey wood's influence, for retribution finally 
comes in the novel to the pair. Bellamente, like Frank- 
ford, forswears his wife, but does not drive her from him, 
as Mrs. Frankford is driven away. Hippolito, too is re- 
quired to keep from his former friend's sight. Bella- 
mente 's questioning of Clariana as to what deficiency she 
had found in him is drawn from A Woman Killed with 
Kindness, IV, 6. Note The Fatal Dowry, IV, 4. Shir- 



172 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

ley's emphasis on the maintenance of appearances is drawn 
from Queen Marguerite rather than from Heywood. The 
escape of an adulteress, real or supposed, with or without 
her paramour, more or less by the husband's connivance, 
is found in Bussy D'Ambois, V, 1, The Maid's Tragedy, 

IV, 1, The Fatal Dowry, IV, 4, The Just Italian, III, 1, 
The Platonic Lovers, V, 1 (1635). 

Sc. 2. See Chap. IV, Sect. 9, for Eubella's defense of 
her chastity. Koeppel derives this incident with the sim- 
ilar ones in Hyde Park, V, 1, and The Example, III, 1, 
from Pericles, IV, 6 (Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 58, note). 
This derivation shows how easy it is to find an indebtedness 
where none really exists. The lady who falls in love with 
the person who courts her for another is found also in 
The Royal Master, II, 1, The Sisters, IV, 4, Henry VI, 
Part I, V, 3, Twelfth Night, I, 5, III, 1, The Trial of Chiv- 
alry, I, 3, Every Woman in her Humor, II, 1, The Love- 
sick King, II. For the conversions of Hippolito and the 
Duke, see Chap. IV, Sect. 10. The repentance of the lat- 
ter may be derived from A Woman Killed with Kindness, 

V, I (Sir Francis Acton and Susan Mountford). 

Sc. 3 seems based in spirit on Frankford's mourning 
over his wife's lute in A Woman Killed, V, 2. Shirley's 
second marriage may account for his description of the 
true wife; with this passage should be compared Strozza's 
speech, The Gentleman Usher, IV, 1, and Valentine's, 
Wit without Money, I, 1. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Hippolito 's fear lest Clariana's letter is 
a snare laid by Bellamente is drawn from Nicholas' fear 
of the President's vengeance in Queen Marguerite's novel. 

Sc. 2. See under IV, 1, and cf. The Guardian, III, 6, 
especially as to the part which Clariana's maid, Milena, 
plays (the maid who aids her mistress in arranging her 



THE TEAGEDIES 173 

assignation is a common figure, however). The source for 
Clariana's revenge upon Hippolito may be the attempted 
murder of Soranzo by Hippolita in 'Tis Pity She 's a Whore, 
IV, 1. Here also the revenge recoils upon the avenger, 
but the object of it is not slain as in Love's Cruelty. The 
close of the play with its promise of future happiness for 
Eubella should be compared with the last scene of The 
Politician and the prospects of the widowed Albina as there 
intimated. 

IV. The Politician 

The identification of The Politician with The Politic 
Father (see Chap. II) has been disputed. In Anglia, 
VIII, 410, and his later works, Fleay advanced the theory 
that The Politician was played in Dublin and that The 
Politic Father is the comedy known to us as The Brothers, 
while the play licensed in 1626, under that title, he would 
have us believe to be Dick of Devonshire which Bullen 
assigns to Heywood. Nason (James Shirley, Chap. II) 
argues that The Brothers is The Politic Father of 1641, 
and that The Brothers of 1626 is non-extant. He does not 
accept Fleay 's identification of The Brothers of 1626 with 
Dick of Devonshire. Schipper (James Shirley, pp. 242-3) 
and Neilson (Cam. Hist. Eng. Lit., VI, 225) seem to agree 
with Fleay as to the production of the play in Ireland. 
Ward is skeptical as to the identification of The Brothers 
and The Politic Father (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 104). 

There is no evidence that The Politician was not first 
acted in Ireland, but why it is not identical with The 
Politic Father is not very clear. We have the King of 
Norway, a father, and certainly politic, while Gotharus, 
who, at least, thinks himself a father, and who is, accord- 
ing to Shirley, a politician, has a very good claim also to 



174 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

the designation which furnishes the title to the latter play. 
The Elizabethan meaning of the word ' ' politician ' ' 8 de- 
scribes either of these characters better than it does Don 
Carlos in The Brothers. 

Fleay himself refers to Shirley's "habit of renaming 
his plays (Anglia, VIII, p. 410), so that the difference 
in title between The Politic Father and The Politician 
needs no especial attention. The fact that The Brothers 
was first printed in 1652 means little. To argue for the 
date 1641 from that circumstance would lead one to sug- 
gest that the plays printed in the Beaumont and Fletcher 
folio of 1647 were first produced years after the deaths of 
the authors. 

In the article cited above Fleay states (p. 410) that The 
Brothers "must date in 1641 since the prologue alludes 
to the King's 'Spanish plot' of that year." In the first 
place, Shirley would not have been likely to have alluded 
to any such affair as the turning over of the Irish army 
to Spain; if he had done so, it would not have been jocu- 
larly; and thirdly, the allusion is most probably to the 
plot of the play which is laid in Spain. In addition, any 
references to a Spanish plot would have been relished 
more, perhaps, by an audience in 1626, than in 1641. 9 

There is no reason to suppose that Shirley did not write 
for the Queen's Men at Salisbury Court after 1636. In- 

8N. E. D. (I) "A shrewd schemer"; (II) "a statesman." Cf. the 
use of the term in The Laws of Candy, V, 1, The Iron Age, Part I, 
I, 1, The Turk, II, 1, 2, IV, 1, Appius and Virginia, II, 1, The 
False One, dramatis personce, The Distracted State, dramatis persona? 
(1641). See Characters 12 ("A Simple Politician"), and 22 ("A 
Sick Machiavel Politician") in Bks. I and II, respectively, The 
Essays and Characters of John Stephens, the Younger. 

» See Clarendon, Hist., I, 492 ff. ; Gardiner, Hist, of Eng., IV, 
373-74, X, 10. The so-called plot was formed between May 10, 1641, 
and the latter part of August of that year. 



THE TRAGEDIES 175 

deed, The Gentleman of Venice seems to have been pro- 
duced there in 1639. It is surely as reasonable to believe 
him to have written two plays for that company as one. 
For Fleay 's statement that The Politic Father was licensed 
for the King's Men at Blackfriars (Stage, p. 361) there 
seems no basis. The Politician, under whatever title it first 
was played, was acted at Salisbury Court by the Queen's 
Men. This is shown by the titlepage of the edition of 1655, 
and by the fact that the prologue to The Cardinal specific- 
ally mentions that play as being Shirley's first tragedy for 
the King's Men. 

There is, moreover, no direct evidence to connect Dick 
of Devonshire with Shirley, or The Brothers with The 
Politic Father (see Chap. X for the former). Fleay 's cita- 
tion of "You show a provident father" (The Brothers, I, 
1) as a proof of the play's identity with The Politic Fa- 
ther is of no particular value, for the expression is not 
identical with the title (see Chap. IV, Sect. 31). Nissen's 
idea (James Shirley, p. 13, note) that the dedication to The 
Brothers shows it to be dated after 1640 is based apparently 
on a misunderstanding of the English. Shirley says, ' ' This 
composition [The Brothers], which, after its birth, had in 
my thoughts, a dedication to your name, although it but now 
took the boldness to wear it in the forehead." These 
words do not refer to the dedication of the play at "its 
birth" in 1626, to Thomas Stanley, then an infant in arms, 
but to its dedication after its birth to that gentleman, who 
was past twenty-five years of age in 1652. The fact that 
The Brothers seems to have been produced by the King's 
Men at Blackfriars has no especial significance in the dat- 
ing of the play, for Shirley may as well have written for 
them in 1626 as in 1641. The evidence of the titlepage 
of The Brothers is against Fleay 's statement (Stage, p. 
333) that this comedy was licensed for the Queen's Men 



176 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

at the Cockpit. Nothing seems to support Fleay save that 
nearly all of Shirley's early plays were acted by that 
company. Neither The Brothers nor The Politician was 
in the list of plays claimed by Beeston, in 1639 for the 
Cockpit Company (Collier, Hist. Eng. Dram. Poet., II, 91- 
92, note), so that they must either have been produced 
subsequent to that date, or have been the property of 
another company. 

That The Brothers was the property of the King's Men 
is conclusively shown not only by the titlepage of the 
early edition, and by Moseley's list bound up therewith 
(Nason, James Shirley, Chap. II), but by contemporary 
documentary evidence. In a list of sixty unpublished 
plays belonging to the King's Men which is appended to 
a warrant of the Lord Chamberlain, the Earl of Essex, 
The Brothers stands forty-fifth, with The Doubtful Heir, 
The Imposture, and The Country Captain, forty-first, 
forty-second and forty-third, respectively. 10 Certainly it 
seems improbable to say the least, that in this list dated 
August 7, 1641, ten weeks after the licensing of The 
Politic Father, that that play should appear with a new 
title in an official enumeration. Many of these plays are 
very old ones. Twenty-seven are Beaumont and Fletch- 
er's. What so remarkable then that Shirley's Brothers 
should remain unpublished fifteen years after its first 
presentation when Beaumont and Fletcher's Woman's 
Prize, produced thirty-five years earlier also was in the 
player's hands in MS.? 

The fact of the matter seems to be that The Brothers 
of 1652 is The Brothers of 1626, which was produced by 
the King's Men, and that The Politician of 1655 is The 
Politic Father of 1641 which was presented by the Queen's 
Men. In 1652 Shirley was probably first able to secure 

io Edited by Chambers, Malone Society Collections, I, 364 ff. 



THE TRAGEDIES 177 

the rights of publication of his King's Men plays, or 
perhaps the actors themselves designed to publish in one 
volume all the plays Shirley wrote for them. 

According to Langbaine, a story resembling the plot 
of The Politician occurs in the first book of The Countess 
of Montgomery's Urania 11 (Dramatic Poets, p. 481). As 
in Hoffman, the non-extant Danish Tragedy, Hamlet, The 
Loyal Subject, The Costly Whore, Albertus Wallenstein, 
and Brennoralt (the list is incomplete), the scene of The 
Politician is laid in northern Europe. A leading theme 
of the play is the intrigue of the ambitious favorite, 
Gotharus (for whom see Chap. IV, Sect. 33). The wicked 
stepmother, Queen Marpisa (whose name may be from 
Sidney's Marpesia, The Arcadia, Bk. Ill, p. 366), occurs 
in the play as in Andromana, Cupid 's Revenge, and Cymbe- 
line (see Chap. IV, Sect. 35). Her relations with Gotharus 
which play an important part are paralleled in Titus An- 
dronicus, Henry VI, Part II, The Malcontent, The Mayor of 
Queenborough, The Revenger's Tragedy, Nero, Albovine, 
among others. This triangular relationship in The Poli- 
tician — the King, Queen and Gotharus, — is complicated by 
Albina, the wife of Gotharus whom the King admires. 
Turgesius, the Prince, relates the tragedy to those plays in 
which ingratitude to a successful commander plays a part, 

ii The Countess of Montgomery's Urania, by Lady Mary Wroth, 
niece to Sir Phillip Sidney, was entered in the Stationers' Register, 
July 13, 1621, and was published the same year; hence why Neilson 
should think that the priority of The Urania to The Politician needs 
"further examination" (Cam. Hist. Eng. Lit., VI, 225) is a mystery. 
On account of the satiric treatment of the amorous adventures of 
certain courtiers, the sale of the book was stopped. The Urania 
seems now to be an extremely rare volume, probably because of this 
attempt at suppressing it. For information concerning it and its 
author, see Horace Walpole, Noble Authors, I, 485; Sir Sidney Lee, 
D. N. B., LXIII, 161 ff. 



178 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

as The Young Admiral, Coriolanus, The Loyal Subject, 
Albertus Wallenstein, etc. Besides these general relation- 
ships, the influence of Sejanus seems strong in some portions 
of the play. 

The plot of The Politician follows: 

The King of Norway, while his son Turgesius is absent 
on a campaign, marries Marpisa, who has been, and still 
is, the mistress of Gothams, the King's favorite, who neg- 
lects for her Albina, his virtuous wife. Marpisa and 
Gothams plot to make Haraldus (her son by a former 
marriage, who is thought by Gothams to be his child) heir 
to the throne in place of Turgesius. They make the King 
jealous of his son by representing him to be ambitious of 
becoming King. Letters forged by them and the expostu- 
lations of Olaus, the King's uncle, at his marriage increase 
his anger at the Prince. When Turgesius returns, he is 
harshly received by his father. Aquinus, an honest sol- 
dier, pretends to be suborned by Gothams to murder the 
Prince. The populace and soldiery rise at the supposed 
death of Turgesius. Gothams, who is pursued by them, 
is poisoned by Marpisa who considers him responsible for 
the death of Haraldus. The Prince is found to be alive, 
the King in atonement to his son offers to abdicate, Mar- 
pisa poisons herself and dies penitently, while only the 
virtuous characters are left alive at the end of the play. 

Haraldus, the young son of Marpisa, whose part it is 
to supply a pathetic element in the play, parallels Young 
Lucius in Titus Andronicus, Young Talbot in Henry VI, 
Part I, and the various Princes, etc., in Parts II, III, 
Arthur in King John, the Princes in Richard III, Lucius 
in Julius Caesar, Fleance and Macduff's Children in Mac- 
beth, Young Marcus in Coriolanus, Mamillius in The Win- 
ter 's Tale, Ned in George-a-Greene, Mahomet in Selimus, the 
true and false Ascanii in Dido, Queen of Carthage, Edward 



THE TRAGEDIES 179 

III in Edward II, the children of Antony in The Virtuous 
Octavia, the Boy in A Warning for Fair Women, the 
Younger Bruce in The Death of Robert, Earl of Hunting- 
ton, Pertillo in Two Tragedies in One, Julio in Antonio's 
Revenge, Astor, Phillippo and the Boys in The Devil's 
Charter, Urania in Cupid's Revenge, Hengo in Bonduca, 
the Boy in Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt, Lucio in The 
Double Marriage, Giovanni in The White Devil, Edward 
and Maria in Anything for a Quiet Life, the Babes in The 
Bloody Banquet, Aegrothus' Boy in Goffe's Orestes, Alad- 
din's Children in The Courageous Turk, Britannicus in 
Agrippina, Sebastian in The Noble Soldier, Gonzago in 
The Queen and Concubine. 

For the fops (and poltroons) Sueno and Helga, cf. 
Fabio in The Young Admiral, note Sycophant in Nobody 
and Somebody, the lord described by Hotspur, Henry IV, 
Part I, I, 3, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 47. For the blunt 
old Olaus, see Chap. IV, Sect. 39, and cf. Ismenus in 
Cupid's Revenge. Cf. Aquinus with Pallante in The 
Duke's Mistress, Claudio in The Imposture, and note Pon- 
tius in Valentinian. 

The list of "characters" appended to the names in the 
dramatis personm is found again in The Gentleman of 
Venice. Cf. Every Man Out of his Humor and The New 
Inn. For the use of the title of the play in the dramatis 
personw, cf. The Young Admiral, etc. See also I, 1, IV, 
5, V, 2, following. 

Act I, Sc. 1, opens as does Sejanus, I, 1. Two "honest 
courtiers" enter and discuss conditions at court with spe- 
cial reference in both to the favorites, Gothams and Se- 
janus. Then in both plays a virtuous character and a 
wicked one (Drusus and Albina, Sejanus and Gothams) 
pass over the stage separately and are commented on by 
the courtiers. Gothams, as he enters, is besieged by peti- 



180 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

tioners; Sejanus is beset by flatterers and placehunters. 
In both plays the probable removal of the heirs to the 
crown is discussed. The marriage of Marpisa and the King 
recalls that of Margaret and Henry VI, Henry VI, Part I, 
V, 3, 5, Part II, I, 1. Petitioners are also introduced in 
The Sisters, IV, 2. Parallels occur in The Spanish Trag- 
edy, III, 13, Henry VI, Part II, I, 3, Timon of Athens, I, 
1, Nobody and Somebody, p. 280, Edward IV, Part I, p. 
81, The Malcontent, I, 5, The Mayor of Queenborough, I, 
1, The Prophetess, III, 1, The Lovesick Court, I, 1, The 
Queen and Concubine, II, 3, The Emperor of the East, 

1, 2, III, 2, Believe as You List, I, 2. 

Gothams' plot against Turgesius is the same as Cesario's 
against Vittori, The Young Admiral, I, 1. More or less 
close analogues are found in The Faithful Friends, II, 1, 
David and Bethsabe, p. 468 ff., Lust's Dominion, III, 2, 
Hamlet, III, 1 (narrated in V, 2), Cupid's Revenge, II, 

2, All's Lost by Lust, I, 1. Howell, Familiar Letters, I, 
208, relates a somewhat similar story of the Duke of Os- 
suna. The jealousy of the successful general in The Royal 
King and Loyal Subject, and Albertus Wallenstein is re- 
lated to the feelings of Gotharus. 

Characters crossing the stage while other personages 
comment on them (often furnishing "characters" of them) 
occur in Hyde Park, I, 1, The Gamester, III, 3, The Ex- 
ample, I, 1, Antonio and Mellida, I, Cynthia's Revels, II, 

I, Sejanus, I, 1, V, 8, Troilus and Cressida, I, 2, Pericles, 

II, 2, Henry VIII, IV, 1, The Dumb Knight, II, 1, The 
Turk, I, 1, Philaster, I, 1, The Loyal Subject, IV, 2, A 
Wife for a Month, V, 2, Ram Alley, I, 1, The White Devil, 
II, 4, The Changeling, V, 2, Nero, I, 1, The Partial Law, 
I, 5, The Novella, I, 1, Lady Alimony, II, 2. 

For Albina's defense of virtue and Gotharus' eaves- 
dropping, see Chap. IV, Sects. 9 and 30. His jealousy 



THE TRAGEDIES 181 

(partly pretended) recalls Othello, IY, 2, while his solilo- 
quy is based apparently on that of Iago, ibid., I, 3. Cf. 
also Lust's Dominion, I, 4. Haraldus' desire of attending 
the University at Wittenberg and Gothams' attempts at 
dissuasion recall Hamlet, I, 2. Jerom in Hoffman, I (p. 
9), is mentioned as having been a student at Wittenberg. 
For the dialogue of Marpisa and Gotharus at the end of 
the act, Livia and Sejanus, Sejanus, II, 1, should be com- 
pared. Further analogues are Roxena and Horsus, The 
Mayor of Queenborough, III, 1, and Isabella and Morti- 
mer, The Fall of Mortimer. 

Act II, Sc. 1. The beating of Sueno (cf. Ill, 1) is 
paralleled by Sejanus, I, 2 (Drusus striking Sejanus). Cf. 
also Henry VI, Part II, I, 3, Nobody and Somebody, pp. 
298, 316. For Helga's fooling over the telling of news 
see I, 1, of The Young Admiral. Koeppel (Shakespeare's 
Wirkung, p. 60) derives Fabio's tediousness in that play 
from Polonius, Hamlet, II, 2. There is no direct source, 
however, for either of Shirley's incidents, for the same is 
to be found in Romeo and Juliet, II, 5, III, 2, Henry IV, 
Part II, V, 3, The Case is Altered, I, 2, A Tale of a Tub, 

III, 1, Westward Ho, II, 2, A King and No King, II, 1, 
The Lovesick Court, I, 2. An analogue for the King's 
jealousy of Turgesius as displayed in this scene (and III, 
1) is that of Almanzor towards Abilqualit in Revenge for 
Honor, II, 1, which, like the King of Norway's, is created 
and fed by a wicked favorite. Cf. Cupid's Revenge, III, 
4, and The Bloody Brother, II, 1. 

For the conversation of Haraldus and Gotharus (with 

IV, 3), cf. Hamlet and his mother, Hamlet, III, 4. The 
question of Haraldus' legitimacy parallels that of Phillip, 
Lust's Dominion, I, 3, etc. Olaus' upbraiding of the King 
on account of his marriage again suggests Hamlet, III, 4. 
Kent's attack on Lear, King Lear, I, 1, should be com- 



pared, as well as Lust's Dominion, II, 1, and The Costly- 
Whore, III, 1. As the King goes out he refers, apparently, 
to Cynthia's Revels. 

Act III, Sc. 1. Sueno's plucking a hair from Reg- 
inaldus' beard and being beaten therefor seems derived 
from Young Barnacle and Hazard, The Gamester, II, 2, 
V, 1; see also The Imposture, V, 1. The conversation be- 
tween Marpisa and Albina is founded on that between 
Ardelia and Euphemia in The Duke's Mistress, II, 2. 

Sc. 2. The orders given by the King to raise forces to 
oppose Turgesius are a reminiscence of Cesario's com- 
mands in The Young Admiral, I, 1, and parallel The 
Loyal Subject, II, 1. The inciting of Aquinus to the mur- 
der of Turgesius by Gotharus is an echo of Valerio and 
Pallante, The Duke's Mistress, III, 3. Cf. also The Trai- 
tor, II, 1, The Coronation, III, 2, The Iron Age, Part II, 
V, 1, The Malcontent, III, 3, The Insatiate Countess, IV, 
The Phoenix, IV, 1, The Witch, II, 2, The Changeling, II, 2, 
Othello, IV, 2, The Spanish Curate, V, 1, Albovine, IV, 1, 
'Tis Pity She's a Whore, II, 2, The Lady's Trial, III, 4, 
The Distracted State, IV, 1 (1641). For Gothams' quo- 
tation from The Spanish Tragedy, II, 1, see under The 
Constant Maid, I, 1. 

Sc. 3. Ward (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 98, note) de- 
rives this scene from Cassio's intoxication, Othello, II, 3. 
The resemblance is merely general, as it is to the drinking 
scenes listed in Chap. IV, Sect. 26. The scene is related 
more closely to The Young Admiral, IV, 1, and its ana- 
logues, as the purpose of the intoxicating of Haraldus is 
to remove his melancholy (a specific treatment for a tem- 
peramental ailment). Haraldus' throwing a glass of wine 
in the face of one of his companions recalls The Gamester, 
II, 2, The Imposture, V, 1, Fortune by Land and Sea, I, 1, 
The New Inn, IV, 2. 



THE TRAGEDIES 183 

Sc. 4 (with IV, 2). The return of a victorious force to 
a hostile court is drawn from The Young Admiral, I, 2. 
Parallels are Titus Andronicus, I, 1, The Loyal Subject, 
II, 1, and Appius and Virginia, I, 3, 4. As in The Young 
Admiral, a forcible entry to the city is advised, which is 
dismissed with a reproof by the commander. Cassandra's 
account of affairs at court in The Young Admiral is paral- 
leled by Olaus' story in the earlier scene. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. The dialogue between Gotharus and the 
King at the beginning of this scene is based on The Young 
Admiral, II, 1, in which Vittori is discussed by Cesario 
and the King of Naples. The reported illness of Haraldus 
seems, like the illness and death of Mamillius, The Win- 
ter's Tale, III, 2, a sort of visitation for the wickedness of 
his parents. Cf. the " death" of Gonzago, The Queen 
and Concubine, IV, 6. 

Sc. 2. See III, 4. The pretended murder of Turgesius 
by Aquinus is based upon Claudio's attempt on Honorio's 
life, The Imposture, IV, 4. Cf. Pallante's plot against the 
Duke in The Duke's Mistress, IV, 1, V, 1. Lust's Domin- 
ion, II, 4, should also be compared. 

Sc. 3 (see II, 1) seems a combination of Hamlet, III, 4 
(Hamlet and his mother), and A King and No King, V, 4 
(Arbaces, Arane and Gobrias). The question of a son's 
legitimacy is put to his mother by the Bastard in King 
John, I, 1. Parallels for Haraldus' death have been cited 
under Sc. 1 of this act; to these should be added that of 
Urania in Cupid's Revenge, V, 3. The rebellion, the 
breaking out of which Hormenus reports, is a device used 
by many Elizabethan dramatists to aid in bringing about 
the end of a play. Revolts are thus employed in The 
Doubtful Heir, V, 4, The Coronation, IV, 3, Philaster, V, 3, 
The Loyal Subject, IV, Cupid's Revenge, IV, 3, 4, The 
Double Marriage, V, 1. 



184 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Sc. 4. Marpisa's revenge upon Gothams, whom she 
holds accountable for Haraldus' death, is accomplished by 
means of a box of poison under the guise of medicine. 
There seems a relationship here to Rerinthia's substitution 
of poison for a love-potion in The Maid's Revenge, V, 2. 
A possible source is Aglaura, V, 3. Cf. The Cardinal, V, 3, 
and Cymbeline, I, 5, etc. For other poisonings, see Chap. 
IV, Sects. 11 and 12. Albina's surprising her husband 
with Marpisa repeats I, 1, and is a reversal of Love's 
Cruelty, IV, 1. 

Sc. 5. Gothams' escape from the rebels seems derived 
from Timentes' attempted escape from a pretended pursuit 
in The Swisser, III, 1 (Timentes, however, dies of fear, not 
by poison, as does Gothams). Analogues occur in Locrine, 
II, 5, The Iron Age, Part II, V, 1, Henry IV, Part I, V, 
4, The Turk, IV, 1, Alphonsus, Emperor of Germany, II, 3 
(this play contains not only the feigning of death but an 
exchange of clothing also), The Prisoners, III, 5. 

Sc. 6. For the resurrections of Turgesius and Aquinus, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 29. 

Act V, Sc. 1. The quarrel between the King and Mar- 
pisa seems without parallels. 

Sc. 2 seems related, as far as the adjustments of difficul- 
ties, righting of wrongs, etc., go, to Philaster, V, 4, 5. 
Gothams' squalid death is paralleled by that of Suffolk, 
Henry VI, Part II, IV, 1. The rebels' desire for frag- 
ments of Gothams' body is drawn either from the threats 
"towards Pharamond, Philaster, V, 4, or the description 
of the mutilation of Sejanus, Sejanus, V, 10. Note the 
parcelling out of the body of St. Hugh, A Shoemaker a 
Gentleman, IV, 2. The King's humility at his entrance 
suggests Richard II, IV, 1, and Edward III, V. Marpisa's 
entrance and her tirades before her repentant death seem 
related to the death of Bacha, Cupid's Revenge, V, 3. Cf. 



THE TRAGEDIES 185 

Artesia's defiance in The Birth of Merlin, V, 2 (she, how- 
ever, does not escape punishment for her crimes as do 
Marpisa and Bacha), and the Queen, Cymbeline, V, 5 (re- 
ported). Eleazar's dying curses in Lust's Dominion, V, 6, 
ought also to be noted. 

V. The Cardinal 

As Dyce in his Account (p. xxxix) says, The Cardinal 
was plainly written under the influence of The Duchess of 
Malfi. The stories of the two plays touch in several points, 
but there is no plagiarism or close borrowing. The re- 
venge tragedy as a class contributes something to The Car- 
dinal, while plays in which Church dignitaries figure, such 
as Henry VIII, furnish hints for various incidents. 

The plot of The Cardinal runs as follows: 
(The Duchess Rosaura, a young widow, loves, and is loved 
by, Alvarez, a young Navarrese noble. The Cardinal, who 
is the King's favorite, induces his master to press her to 
marry Columbo, the Cardinal's nephew. Rosaura is be- 
trothed to him against her will. While Columbo is on a 
campaign, she writes him a letter asking for her release 
from their engagement. Columbo misinterprets the letter, 
as the Duchess intends, and releases her. Rosaura then 
obtains permission of the King to marry Alvarez. On Co- 
lumbo 's return, he plans a revenge upon the Duchess, and 
accordingly murders Alvarez during the celebration of his 
wedding. Rosaura now meditates revenge on Columbo, 
and allies herself with Hernando, a soldier unjustly dis- 
graced by Columbo. Hernando slays Columbo in a duel. 
The Cardinal, in pursuing his revenge upon Rosaura for 
Columbo 's death, attempts a rape upon her while she is 
simulating madness, and is wounded by Hernando, who 
then stabs himself. The Cardinal, mistakenly believing 
himself dying, poisons Rosaura and himself. ^ 



186 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

For the Cardinal as a wicked favorite, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 33, and cf. the Cardinals in Henry VI, Parts I, II, 
The Duchess of Main, Henry VIII, The Distracted State 
(1641). Cf. the Duchess with Berinthia in The Maid's 
Revenge, the Duchess in The Duchess of Main, Katherine 
in Henry VIII, the Duchess in More Dissemblers besides 
Women, Onaela in The Noble Soldier. Hernando, who 
corresponds to Bosola in the latter part of The Duchess of 
Main, suggests Hamond in The Bloody Brother, Adorni in 
The Maid of Honor, Stephanos in The Roman Actor, 
Baltazar in The Noble Soldier, Zorranes in Aglaura. As 
an avenger he recalls Sciarrha in The Traitor, Vendice in 
The Revenger's Tragedy, etc. He approaches the blunt, 
honest soldier type (Chap. IV, Sect. 39). Cf. the King of 
Navarre with Duke Ferdinand in The Duchess of Malfi 
and see Chap. IV, Sect. 37, for other weak rulers. Alvarez 
corresponds to Antonio in The Duchess of Malfi. Cf. Co- 
lumbo with Fulgentio in The Maid of Honor. For the use 
of the title of the play in the prologue, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 31. 

Act I, Sc. 1. For the discussion of matters at court and 
the character of the Cardinal, note as a source Delio's 
character of Webster's Cardinal, The Duchess of Malfi, I, 1. 
Cf. also The Politician, I, 1, The Doubtful Heir, IV, 1, 
The Court Secret, III, 1, The Coronation, I, 1, The Oppor- 
tunity, II, 2, Chabot, I, 1, The Triumph of Death, Sc. 2, 
Henry VIII, I, 1, The Distracted State, I, 1 (1641). 

Sc. 2. For the discussion of the merits of Alvarez and 
Columbo by Rosaura and her waiting-woman, see under 
The Maid's Revenge, II, 1, and for Rosaura 's pretense of 
affection toward Columbo, see Chap. IV, Sect. 6. 

Act II, Sc. 1. The council of war and the quarrel of 
Columbo and Hernando is a borrowing from The Rebellion, 
II, 1 (produced 1639, printed 1640). Here Machvile and 



THE TRAGEDIES 187 

Antonio fall out over plans for the conduct of the cam- 
paign. Antonio is accused of cowardice because of the 
cautious nature of his advice and a melee follows. Shir- 
ley's habit of introducing variations from his source should 
be kept in mind here. Ward (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 
94, note) suggests an indebtedness of Shirley in this scene 
to Henry V, IV, 3, in the discussion of the comparative 
strength of the several armies. Columbo's rage directed 
toward the bearer of Rosaura's letter recalls Cesario in 
The Young Admiral, I, 1, and Macbeth, Macbeth, V, 3. 

The letter and Columbo's misinterpretation of it are re- 
lated to the equivocal speech and misunderstood message 
which Shirley has used in a number of earlier plays (see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 27). As to Columbo's conception of the 
letter as a test, see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. For the conversa- 
tion of the officers on the Duchess' early first marriage, 
see The Grateful Servant, I, 1. 

Sc. 2 seems to have no parallels. 

Sc. 3. The accusations and recriminations of the 
Duchess and the Cardinal here and in IV, 2, parallel those 
of Queen Katherine and Cardinal Wolsey in Henry VIII, 
II, 4, III, 1. At the end of the scene Gifford notes an 
obvious allusion to contemporary conditions in England. 

Act III, Sc. 1, seems without parallels. 

Sc. 2. The comic scene in which servants preparing for 
some sort of feast or celebration figure, such as we find at 
the opening of Sc. 2, occurs in many plays. Cf. The Wed- 
ding, II, 1, The Grateful Servant, II, 1, A Yorkshire 
Tragedy, Sc. 1, No Wit, No Help like a Woman's, II, 1, 
IV, 2. If there is a specific source for this part of the 
scene in The Cardinal, it is in The Gentleman Usher, II, 1, 
in which a masque is being prepared for presentation. 
There is also a resemblance to The Antipodes, II, 1, 2. 
Scenes of a similar nature are found in The Supposes, 



188 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

III, 1, Romeo and Juliet, I, 5, Coriolanus, IV, 5, The Case 
is Altered, I, 1, The Poetaster, II, 1, The New Inn, III, 1, 
An Humorous Day's Mirth, p. 34, The Gentleman Usher, 

I, 1, The Widow's Tears, III, 1, A Woman Killed with 
Kindness, III, 2, The Honest Whore, Part II, I, 1, The 
Maid's Tragedy, I, 2, The Honest Man's Fortune, V, 3, 
The Bloody Brother, II, 2, The Humorous Lieutenant, I, 1, 
Appius and Virginia, IV, 2, The Platonic Lovers, I, 1. 

For the masque within a play, see Chap. IV, Sect. 18. 
The masque in a play had already been used as a vehicle 
for a crime in Antonio's Revenge, V, 5, The Revenger's 
Tragedy, V, 3, Women Beware Women, V, 1, 'Tis Pity 
She's a Whore, IV, 1, Love's Sacrifice, III, 4, Alphonsus, 
Emperor of Germany, III, 1, while masques with a tragic 
element are to be found in The Malcontent, V, 3, The 
Duchess of Main, IV, 2, and The Broken Heart, V, 2 
("revels"). 

Act IV, Sc. 1. Hernando's resolution of killing the 
Cardinal when he is deepest in sin is a reversal of Sciarrha 
and Amidea, The Traitor, V, 1. Hamlet regarding his 
uncle, Hamlet, III, 3, is in accord with Hernando. For 
analogues, see under The Traitor, V, 1. 

Sc. 2. Columbo's threats in his dialogue with the 
Duchess suggest Fulgentio in The Maid of Honor, II, 2. 
The discussion of their revenge upon him by Rosaura and 
Hernando recalls Julia, Domitella and Stephanos in The 
Roman Actor, III, 1, concerning their vengeance on Do- 
mitian. The conversation of the Duchess and the Cardi- 
nal has already been referred to Henry VIII (see under 

II, 3). The Cardinal's penitent tone should be compared 
with that of Lorenzo in The Traitor, IV, 2, or of the King 
in Aglaura, IV, 4. There seems a reminiscence, too, of 
Ursini's pleading for Borgia's pardon, The Opportunity, 
1,2. 



THE TRAGEDIES 189 

Sc. 3. The duel between Columbo and Hernando and 
the former's death suggests Adorni's revenge on Fulgentio, 
The Maid of Honor, III, 2, 3. The revenge in Massinger's 
play, which is wholly on the lady's (Camiola's) account, 
is not represented on the stage. 

Act V, Sc. 1. For the villain's soliloquy delivered by 
the Cardinal, see under The Traitor, IV, 1. 

Sc. 2. For the disguised avenger, Hernando, cf. An- 
tonio in Antonio's Revenge, IV, 1, etc., and Vendice in 
The Revenger's Tragedy, I, 3. Antonio's wish that Her- 
nando and the Cardinal were on some promontory together, 
which is a repetition of Arcadius ' wish concerning Seleucus, 
The Coronation, II, 2, suggests Edgar and Gloster, King 
Lear, IV, 6. 

Sc. 3. The pretended madness of the Duchess (planned 
IV, 2) suggests Titus, Titus Andronicus, III, 2, etc., Ham- 
let in Hamlet, Edgar in King Lear, III, 4, etc., Antonio in 
Antonio's Revenge, IV, 1, Brutus in The Rape of Lucrece. 
See under Love Tricks, II, 2. Hernando's position behind 
the arras during the Cardinal's interview with Rosaura 
recalls Sciarrha and Florio, The Traitor, III, 3. See 
Chap. IV, Sect. 30, for eavesdropping. For the Cardinal's 
attempted rape of Rosaura, see under St. Patrick for Ire- 
land, III, 2. For deaths by poison, see Chap. IV, Sects. 
11 and 12. The administration of poison as medicine in 
The Politician, IV, 4, and the analogues cited for that inci- 
dent should be noted. Cf. also The Noble Soldier, V, 4. 
The King's closing reflections upon the abuses to which 
sovereigns are subject from unworthy favorites perhaps 
allude to contemporary political troubles in England. 

Epilogue. For the comic epilogue, see under Love 
Tricks. This is an early use of the comic epilogue with a 
tragedy. Note that The Cardinal is called Shirley's first 
tragedy for the King's Men. 



CHAPTER VII 
THE TRAGICOMEDIES 
I. The Young Admiral 

That The Young Admiral was esteemed in its own day 
we learn from Sir Henry Herbert's Officebook in which 
it is favorably mentioned because of its freedom from ob- 
scenity and profanity (Shakespeare Variorum, III, 232- 
33). In his dedicatory epistle Shirley says, "It hath been 
grateful to the stage and graciously entertained at court 
by their Majesties" (on the King's birthday, November 19, 
1633, Shakespeare Variorum, III, 234). Epigram XVI, 
in Wit's Recreation, To Mr. James Shirley on his Comedy, 
viz., The Young Admiral, attests its popularity. 

Stiefel in an article in Romanische Porschungen, V, 
ascribed the play to a Spanish source, Lope de Vega's Don 
Lope de Cardona. Later Stiefel proved the indebtedness 
in Die Nachahmung spanischer Komodien in England unter 
den ersten Stuarts, III, which appeared in Archiv fur das 
Studien der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, CXIX 
(1907). 1 

The plot of The Young Admiral runs thus: 

Cesario, Prince of Naples, and Vittori, the Young Ad- 
miral, are rivals for Cassandra's hand. On her account 
Cesario breaks off a match with Rosinda, Princess of Sicily. 
The Sicilians, enraged at the insult, attack Naples. Ce- 

i The following discussion of The Young Admiral, in so far as 
the Spanish source is concerned is based upon StiefePs valuable 
article. 

190 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 191 

sario, in hope that Vittori will be killed, se%ds him as com- 
mander against the hostile fleet. To the Prince's disgust 
he is victorious. On his return, Vittori finds the gates of 
the city closed. Cassandra meets him and tells him of his 
father's imprisonment for resenting an insult from the 
Prince. Warned by the King of danger to Cassandra and 
himself, Vittori flees with her and his father, Alphonso, 
who has been released. Alphonso is recaptured, however, 
and Vittori and Cassandra are shipwrecked and made 
prisoners by the Sicilians who are preparing to besiege 
Naples. The King of Sicily offers Vittori a choice be- 
tween Cassandra's death and his entering the service of 
Sicily. He chooses the latter. He learns then that Al- 
phonso will be beheaded if his son serves in the enemy's 
forces. It is proposed that father and son fight as cham- 
pions for Naples and Sicily. Cesario, however, is lured 
to the enemy's camp by a letter from Cassandra, where he 
is captured. Rosinda, who has accompanied her father 
on the campaign, goes to Naples and gives herself up. The 
Sicilians threaten to execute Cesario, whereupon the Nea- 
politans allege that they will retaliate by executing Ro- 
sinda. Peace is now made. Rosinda is married to Cesario, 
and Cassandra to Vittori (who has suspected her fidelity 
because of her letter to Cesario). The comic element is 
supplied by the gulling of Pazzorello, Rosinda 's cowardly 
servant. 

There are comparatively few translations of Lope's lan- 
guage in The Young Admiral. The debt is one of plot 
chiefly, and Shirley has not hesitated to vary from the 
Spanish play. He has substituted Naples for Arragon 
and has left no Spanish element whatever visible in his 
tragicomedy. Unity of place and time is more nearly at- 
tained in The Young Admiral than in Don Lope. In the 
latter the action begins in Arragon, changes to Sicily, then 



192 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

back to Arragon, and ends in Sicily. The Young Admiral 
is laid in Naples and its vicinity. As a result, the time 
of the action is shortened. The last act of Don Lope de 
Cardona has been much simplified and compressed by Shir- 
ley. Besides the lack of a radical change of scene as in 
that play, there is no supposed death of Cassandra, no 
madness of Vittori, no carrying of the war into Sicily, no 
disguise of Cassandra as a man, and no resurrection scene. 
Inasmuch as some of these devices are particular favorites 
of Shirley's, we must conclude that the lack of space, to- 
gether with his practice of not subordinating characteriza- 
tion to mere incident, prevented his introducing them. As 
it is, he has written a drama of average length mainly upon 
the first two acts of- the earlier play. 

Only three of Lope's names are taken over by Shirley: 
Cassandra, Rosinda (Princess of Sicily in the English play, 
her attendant in the Spanish), and Fabricio (Fabrichio in 
Shirley). Cassandra becomes Vittori 's betrothed, whereas 
in Lope's play she is Don Lope's wife. The English author 
has substituted the King of Naples for Don Alonzo of 
Arragon, the King of Sicily for Don Roxenio of Sicily, 
Cesario for Don Pedro, Vittori for Don Lope, Alphonso 
for Don Bernardo, Mauritio for Captain Urea, Rosinda 
for Clenarda, and Flavia for Rosinda. He has added 
Julio, Alberto and Fabio as Neapolitan nobles, and Ho- 
ratio and Trivulsi as Sicilians, besides Didimo, Pazzorello, 
and several other minor characters, while he has omitted 
Lope's Secretary to Don Alonzo, Felix, Leonardo, Lupercio 
and the five fishers. It should be noted that his characters 
are given Italian names. 

We have some familiar characters: the weak monarch 
(see Chap. IV, Sect. 37) influenced by his headstrong pas- 
sionate son, the unjustly treated commander (a model of 
honor and amativeness), the faithful heroine, loving and 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 193 

beloved, the sentimental heroine who is ready to sacrifice 
herself for him who has forsaken her, the exquisite, who is 
a poltroon as well as a fop, the blunt soldier, the mischie- 
vous page and the clown (see Chap. IV, Sects. 47, 39, 48, 
46, for the last four characters). Of these the first five 
are fairly closely derived from the Spanish play, while 
the others are Shirley's addition. All, however, are fre- 
quently met with in the English drama. 

Act I, Sc. 1. Founded on Don Lope de Cardona, I, 2, 
as far as material goes. For jealousy of the successful 
commander, see under The Politician, I, 1. Cesario's 
hatred of Vittori is caused by rivalry in love more than by 
ambition, however. Cesario's desertion of Rosinda (based 
on Lope) is a source for the forsaking of Pulcheria, daugh- 
ter of the Sicilian Viceroy as related in The Sisters, V, 1 
(not precisely a following of The Young Admiral), and 
Julio's transfer of his affections from Isabella to Clara in 
I, 1, The Court Secret. In the three plays the lady fol- 
lows her recreant lover and wins him finally. For Fabio's 
inability to tell his news, see under II, 1, The Politician 
(cf. V, 2, following). As to Cesario's orders concerning 
Vittori 's reception, see under II, 1, The Politician. Al- 
phonso's arrest seems a source for the management of 
Piracquo's arrest, The Court Secret, II, 1. In Lope's play 
Don Bernardo is neither arrested on the stage, nor is he 
charged with treason. 

Sc. 2. See III, 4, IV, 2, The Politician, for the un- 
grateful treatment of the victorious general. This inci- 
dent and Cassandra's warning are from Don Lope, I, 2. 
See Coriolanus, V, 3, for the entrance of ladies in mourn- 
ing garments. For Vittori 's allusion to Brutus and his 
Genius (p. 106), cf. Julius Caesar, IV, 3, and see Plutarch, 
Lives, Julius Cassar, p. 107, Marcus Brutus, p. 163. Cf. 
Sciarrha's allusion to the Romans, The Traitor, II, 1, and! 



194 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

note that an edition of North's Plutarch's Lives appeared 
in 1631. In the Spanish play the Admiral's interview with 
the King takes place in the city, I, 5, but here it is outside 
the gates. The two interviews correspond, with the excep- 
tion that Don Bernardo is freed in Don Pedro's presence, 
while Shirley's King in his son's absence releases the pris- 
oner, and issues his sentence of exile. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Founded on I, 8, of Don Lope. Shirley 
uses the Prince's upbraiding of his father for having freed 
Don Bernardo and his obtaining permission to pursue the 
fugitives, but makes Cesario already to have ordered a 
search for them. The fact of the capture of Don Bernardo 
and the escape of his son and Cassandra is drawn from 
Don Lope, I, 11. The approach of the Sicilian fleet is 
based upon II, 1, of the Spanish play. 

Sc. 2. The opening conversation is Shirley's. The en- 
trance of the Princess and her attendant seems based on 
II. 4, Don Lope de Cordona. There, however, Cassandra is 
the companion of the Princess. The comedy between 
Didimo and Pazzorello is Shirley's. The storm and the 
consequent capture of Vittori and Cassandra are variations 
upon I, 14, of the Spanish play. There, the fugitives fall 
in with the royal hunting-party in Sicily before the de- 
parture of the avenging fleet. 

Act III, Sc. 1. Didimo 's offer to Pazzorello to insure 
him against gunshots and sword-thrusts is Shirley's intro- 
duction. In view of the indebtedness in IV, 1, it is prob- 
ably based on The Alchemist, I, 1, in which Subtle and 
Face provide for Dapper's introduction to his "aunt of 
Fairy" who is to give him a charm to secure good luck 
in gaming. The Gamester, I, 1, The Imposture, II, 2, and 
The Politician, II, 1, seem based on, or related to, this scene 
in The Young Admiral. The making a coward appear 
brave had been used in The Humorous Lieutenant, III, 5, 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 195 

Love's Cure, III, 2, and it occurs in the same form as in 
The Gamester in The Combat of Love and Friendship, 
IV, 4 (1636). The word "slick-free," on which Gifford 
has a note, is paralleled as "stick-free" in Holland's 
Leaguer, V, 4, 2 and is there used in connection with "an 
old witch at Sweden." "Shot-free" occurs in The Va- 
riety, I, 1, The New Inn, IV, 3, and in Covent Garden, 

III, 3. 

Horatio's courting of Cassandra in this scene and in 

IV, 3, is Shirley's introduction. Vittori's struggle be- 
tween love and loyalty is merely suggested by Lope de 
Vega in II, 4, of his play. Florello's desertion to the 
Pisans in III, 1, of Davenant's Siege should be compared 
with Vittori's action. Love causes both defections. Like 
Bertolina in the earlier play, Cassandra tries unsuccess- 
fully to dissuade her lover from carrying out his plan. 
Florello, however, has accomplished his desertion before 
Bertolina learns of it. Inasmuch as Shirley has borrowed 
in a later scene from The Siege, it is probable that his con- 
flict of love and honor here is derived also from it. Cf. 
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, II, 6. 

Sc. 2. The dialogue of Mauritio, the bluff soldier, and 
the poltroon, Fabio, which is Shirley's, suggests Fletcher 
(cf. Mardonius and Bessus, A King and No King). The 
conversation of the King and Cesario is based upon II, 1, 
Don Lope. Vittori's entrance as a herald, with the subse- 
quent portion of the scene, is derived from ibid., II, 2, 5. 
The mention of the disgraced soldier (Alphonso) as com- 
mander against a hostile army is paralleled in The Loyal 

2 Gifford is wrong concerning the form of the word. As Potter 
says, the proper spelling is "stick-free," and it is cognate with 
German "stichfrei" = invulnerable (Mod. Lang. Notes, XXVII, 199). 
See The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part I, Sec. II, Mem. I, Subsec. 3 
( cited by Potter ) . 



196 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Subject, I, 4, 5. Vittori's announcement of his own pres- 
ence in the Sicilian army has a suggestion in it of the news 
of Coriolanus' presence in the army of Aufidius, Corio- 
lanus, IV, 6. Vittori's consequent predicament — leading 
troops against a king in whose power his father is, and by 
whom he is held as a pledge — is that of Don Lope in II, 5, 
of the Spanish play. The same situation occurs in The 
Four Prentices of London, pp. 96, 97. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. The exchange of confidences by Cassan- 
dra and Rosinda at the beginning of this scene comes from 
Don Lope de Cardona, II, 6, as does also the setting under 
way of their plot against Cesario. The remainder of the 
scene, which is Shirley's introduction, is concerned with 
Pazzorello's encounter with Rosinda 's maid, Flavia, dis- 
guised as a witch. As Gifford notes, this is derived from 
The Alchemist, III, 2, V, 2 (cf. Ill, 1, preceding). Pazzo- 
rello, like Dapper, empties his pockets, and gives up his 
diamond ring as does Dapper his love-token. In each 
play the victim is soundly pinched. In Davenant's Siege, 
IV, 1, two arrant cowards, Ariotto and Lazaro, become 
brave as a result of engaging in a duel, it should be re- 
membered. See also The Politician, III, 3, The Imposture, 
III, 2, V, 1, The Gamester, II, 2, Amends for Ladies, III, 4, 
The Noble Stranger, IV (1638) (based as to management 
perhaps on this scene in The Young Admiral), for related 
incidents, and see under III, 1, preceding. For parallels 
to Flavia 's reference to Mephistopheles, see Koeppel's Mar- 
lowe, Kyd [etc.] im Spiegel des Dramas, p. 15, note. 
Pazzorello's conduct after his "enchantment" recalls La 
Writ's after his first taste of duelling in The Little French 
Lawyer (II, 2, 3, etc.), as well as that of the other cowards 
made brave in the plays cited above. 

Sc. 2. The nomination of Alphonso as Neapolitan 
champion is drawn from Don Lope, II, 9, in which Don 



THE TEAGICOMEDIES 197 

Bernardo is chosen as Arragonese champion. His lamen- 
tation over Vittori's treason comes from Sc. 8 of the same 
act. Shirley does not utilize the actual meeting of father 
and son on the field which occurs in Don Lope de Cardona, 
II, 10. In The Thracian Wonder, V, 2, father and son 
actually fight as hostile champions, before they discover 
each other's identity. Note the death of a son at his fa- 
ther's hands in Titus Andronicus, 1, 1, and the duel between 
father and son in The Unnatural Combat, II, 1. Cf. the 
0. H. G. Hildebrandslied, and its analogues and deriva- 
tives. Fabricio's appearance with Cassandra's letter (II, 

II, of the Spanish play) occurs during Cesario's inter- 
view with Alphonso in this scene. 

Sc. 3. Horatio's suit to Cassandra is Shirley's (cf. 

III, 1). See also Chap. IV, Sect. 9, on defenses of chas- 
tity. Rosinda's anxious waiting for the Prince is drawn 
from Don Lope, II, 12. 

Sc. 4 is an addition by Shirley. Pazzorello's " lying 
perdu," with his dialogue with the Sergeant, is borrowed 
from the scene between the Town Perdue and the Sergeant 
in Davenant's Siege, III, 1. Both Pazzorello and the 
Town Perdue are to stand guard for two hours, both refer 
to the bullet's noise, and imitate their whistle. The mak- 
ing of their wills is mentioned in both plays, and in each 
the bullets are contrasted with sugar-plums. Pazzorello's 
reference to being shot into the town by a cannon is sug- 
gested by a speech in The Siege, V (p. 429). His repeti- 
tion of the word "perdu" and the designation of Dave- 
nant's character also help to point out the indebtedness. 
There are suggestions of All's Well that Ends Well, IV, 1, 
in this portion of the scene. Pazzorello's guiding Cesario 
to the ladies is drawn from the Perdue 's capture of Florello 
(who coughs and discovers himself as does Pazzorello) in 
The Siege as cited. 



198 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Sc. 5 is based principally upon the Spanish play, II, 14, 
15. Pazzorello's claim to the credit of Cesario's capture 
suggests Falstaff's "slaying" of Hotspur, Henry IV, Part 
I, V, 4. Cassandra's letter, which is now read, is longer 
and more calculated to arouse Vittori 's suspicions than that 
in Don Lope. Shirley utilizes II, 15, in which Don Lope 
reads the letter. Vittori 's jealousy is manifested in a 
different manner from Don Lope's. 

Act V, Sc. 1. The opening of the scene by Rosinda and 
Flavia is based on Don Lope, III, 5, in which Clenarda 
and Rosinda discuss Don Pedro's imprisonment. The 
Princess' revelation to Vittori of her plan for securing 
Cesario's freedom comes from III, 12, of the Spanish play 
in which her act is represented. 

Sc. 2. The King of Naples' despair at his son's loss is 
drawn from Don Lope, III, 4, 5. Vittori enters, but volun- 
tarily and in his right mind, and accompanied by Rosinda 
who offers herself as a hostage for Cesario. Don Lope, 
III, 12, is the source with the difference that it is to Cas- 
sandra who is disguised as a Portuguese knight that the 
Princess of Sicily surrenders herself. Vittori 's giving 
himself up parallels Florello's return to the Florentines in 
Davenant's Siege, IV, 1, after his earlier desertion of them. 

Sc. 3. The conversation between Cesario and Cassandra 
in the Sicilian camp is drawn from Don Lope, III, 6, in 
which Don Pedro 'learns of Clenarda 's love for him. Don 
Pedro's knowledge is gained, however, in another way. 
The King of Sicily's angry threats are based on Don Lope, 
III, 7. The sentence of death passed on Florello in The 
Siege, IV, 1, should also be noted. Alphonso's entrance 
as an ambassador is founded on III, 10, of the Spanish 
play. There, however, he does not announce the presence 
of the Princess in Naples, but returns unsuccessful from 
his mission. The embassy takes the place of Lope 's III, 14, 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 199 

in which Clenarda's death is threatened in revenge for Don 
Pedro's. The comic ending of the scene is Shirley's. 

Sc. 4 is an equivalent to the last scene of Don Lope de 
Cardona, rather than an imitation of it. In both, peace 
is ratified, and final adjustments of relations take place 
which secure the happiness of all. 

II. The Duke's Mistress 

There seems to be no single definite source for The 
Duke's Mistress, but rather a general indebtedness to plays 
built about the theme of the neglected wife. Chief among 
the plays to which Shirley's tragicomedy appears related 
is Brome's Queen and Concubine which appeared in the 
same year. Brome's Queen Eulalia is superseded by 
Alinda in the King's affections, is banished, and after 
various trials, is taken back by her repentant husband. 
Shirley's Leontio is to a certain extent, paralleled by 
Brome's Ludovico. A Wife for a Month, as far as the 
relationships of the characters are concerned, presents a 
striking similarity also. Shirley's Dionisio, Euphemia, 
Ardelia, and Fiametta correspond to Fletcher's Frederick, 
Maria, Valerio, Evanthe and Cassandra. Davenant's Fair 
Favorite (1638) seems to owe something to The Duke's 
Mistress. 

An outline of The Duke's Mistress follows: 
The heart of the Duke of Parma is attracted from his 
Duchess, Euphemia, by Ardelia, who is betrothed to Ben- 
tivolio, a young gentleman who is on his travels. Ben- 
tivolio, on returning to Parma with Horatio, whose humor 
of courting ugly women furnishes the low comedy, mis- 
takenly suspects her fidelity. She proves her virtue to him 
by a ruse. In the meantime, Euphemia has displeased the 
Duke and has been placed in the custody of Leontio, the 
Duke's favorite and heir. Leontio, who loves her, makes 



200 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

advances which are repulsed. With Valerio and Pallante, 
a disaffected soldier, he plots the Duke's death. Bentivolio 
is drawn into the conspiracy. Learning of the love of 
Bentivolio and Ardelia, Valerio threatens to the latter to 
betray them to the Duke, and exacts her chastity as the 
price of silence. She pretends to consent, but when he 
visits her she draws a pistol. Bentivolio 's entrance forces 
Valerio to hide behind the arras. The former, believing 
him to be the Duke, stabs him through the hangings. The 
Duke is thought dead, so Bentivolio, Horatio and Ardelia 
are imprisoned. The Duke, however, who has been warned 
by Pallante, appears, is reconciled with Euphemia, over- 
comes Leontio, who is fatally wounded, frees Bentivolio, his 
mistress, and his friend. The lovers are united, and all 
ends w T ell for them. 3 

The characters are conventional in most respects with 
the exception of Ardelia, who seems rather an experiment 
on Shirley's part. The lustful Duke (see Chap. IV, Sect. 
37) who neglects his virtuous wife, his rival (who is unusual 
in not having the customary respect for royalty), his bluff 
friend, the Machiavellian villain, and the honest soldier 
are met with in The Duke's Mistress. It should be noted 
that the plotting Leontio and the astute Valerio both per- 
form the functions of the villain (see Chap. IV, Sect. 33). 
In Horatio who loves none but ugly women we have a 
humorist of the Jonsonian sort. Pallante, the unjustly 
treated soldier, suggests Pallantus in H. Killigrew's Con- 
spiracy (1634) who is scorned for his rough exterior (see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 39). 

Act I, Sc. 1. Cf. the entrance of Leontio in thought 
with that of Gotharus, The Politician, I, 1. The entrance 

3 This play is really as much a tragedy as The Politician is and is 
so termed on the early titlepage. However, the usual classification 
as a tragicomedy has been followed here. 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 201 

of Pallante, the poverty-stricken soldier, brings to mind 
Davenant's similar characters in Albovine, II, 1, The Just 
Italian, I, 1, The Siege, I, 1, The Wits, I, 1, Love and 
Honor, II, 1, News from Plymouth, I, 1 (sea-captains) 
(1635), and The Unfortunate Lovers, II, 1 (1638). See 
the quarrel between the Courtier and the Soldier, A Con- 
tention for Honor and Eiches, Sc. 2 (p. 302). Note the 
discontent of Seleucus, The Coronation, III, 2, IV, 1. Cf. 
the soldiers in The Faithful Friends, in Thierry and 
Theodoret, The Loyal Subject, The Humorous Lieutenant, 
The Royal King and Loyal Subject, The Unnatural Com- 
bat, and see also Disraeli, Curiosities of Literature, History 
of Charles I and his First Parliaments, on the disbanded 
soldiers. For the Duke 's suggesting that Pallante buy new 
clothes, cf. the Steward and Belgarde, The Unnatural Com- 
bat, III, 1. In the Duke's courtship of Ardelia, after 
Pallante 's dismissal, is a borrowing from Doctor Faustus, 
V, 3, 

". . . With one smile exalt again 

His heart to heaven, and with a kiss breathe in me 

Another soul fit for thy love," 

an idea used before by Arcadius, The Coronation, III, 2. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Horatio's preference for an ugly mistress 
because with such a one there are no grounds for jealousy 
suggests Burton 's advice : ' ' If thou wilt avoid them, take 
away all causes of suspition and jealousie, marry a coarse 
piece, fetch her from Cassandre's temple which was wont 
in Italy to be a sanctuary of all deformed maids, and so 
thou shalt be sure no man will make thee cuckold but for 
spight" (Anatomy of Melancholy, Part III, Sec. 3, Mem. 4, 
Subs. 2). For Horatio's description of his ideal mistress, 
see under III, 2, and for the reference to monsters, see 



202 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

under The Bird in a Cage, II, 1. His reference to Lap- 
land witches recalls Flavia, The Young Admiral, IV, 1. 

Sc. 2. Euphemia's indignation at Ardelia recalls Maria 
and Evanthe, A Wife for a Month, I, 1. There is no recon- 
ciliation between the two as in Fletcher's play, however. 
Eulalia and Alinda in The Queen and Concubine, II, 2, 
ought also to be noted. Leontio's asides in Shirley's scene 
remind one of Lodovico's in The Queen and Concubine, 
as cited, as well as in the scene preceding. The appoint- 
ment of Lodovico as the Queen's gaoler (ibid., I, 7) is 
paralleled by Leontio's designation for a similar duty by 
Duke Dionisio. 

The meekness of Euphemia manifested at the beginning 
of the scene recalls that of Juliana towards Virolet, in The 
Double Marriage (III, 3, etc.), as well as that of Brome's 
Eulalia. Shirley's Albina, Mrs. Wilding, Astella, etc., are 
off the same piece. The Queen and Jane Shore in Edward 
IV, Part II, p. 126, and the Queen and Floramel, The 
Hector of Germany, IV, 5 (here it is the latter who is 
meek), should also be noted. The Fair Favorite, III, 1, 
seems indebted to Shirley here. 

Act III, Sc. 1. The device by which Ardelia convinces 
Bentivolio of her chastity is a utilization of The Curious 
Impertinent, as employed in Amends for Ladies, V, 1. 
Here Sir John Loveall by overhearing Subtle unsuccess- 
fully court his wife, the Lady Perfect, is convinced of her 
virtue, and repents of his previous suspicions. 

Sc. 2. As Gifford suggests in a note, Horatio's song is 
doubtless that printed among Shirley's poems as On One 
that Loved None but Deformed Women. With this poem 
Suckling's The Deformed Mistress and Suckabus' Song in 
The Seven Champions of Christendom, V, should be com- 
pared. For the grotesque description of Fiametta together 
with Horatio's ideal mistress as described in II, 1, and the 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 203 

grotesqueness in IV, 1, see Chap. IV, Sect. 20. Horatio's 

reference to "good madam Kickshaw" may refer to The 
Lady of Pleasure in which there is a character named 
Kickshaw. The reference by the same character to pla- 
tonic love alludes to a courtly fashion of the day on which 
in the same year (0. S.) Davenant had founded his play, 
The Platonic Lovers. The prologue to that drama and the 
explanation of platonic love in I, 1 (p. 17), in it and 
Howell's definition, Familiar Letters, I, 317 (June 3, 
1634), should be noted. The fashion is attacked, II, 6, of 
Lady Alimony (1635). Semanthe, a Platonic Lady, occurs 
in Aglaura (1638). 

Sc. 3. Leontio's courtship of Euphemia suggests Ludo- 
vico's love for Eulalia, The Queen and Concubine, I, 7, 
III, 3. The former, however, loses his respect for the lady 
and the scene becomes one of Shirley's favorites with its 
virtuous lady repulsing the too daring lover. Similarly 
in The Duke of Milan, II, 1, Francisco who has been en- 
trusted by the Duke with his Duchess attempts her honor, 
and suggests that they make way with the Duke and with 
his own wife, and ascend the throne. Marcelia, like Eu- 
phemia, spurns the proposition. Leontio meditates seri- 
ously on crimes, as does Francisco, and at once begins to 
plot the Duke's death, obtaining the aid of the disaffected 
Pallante (see under The Politician, III, 1). 

Act IV, Sc. 1. The nose of wax, Gifford states, is drawn 
from an epigram in the Greek Anthology. The "running 
at tilt" of the "two devils" brings to mind the quarrel of 
Gammer Gurton and Dame Chat, Gammer Gurton's 
Needle, III, 3. "Scolopendra" as a cant term applied to 
a woman of bad reputation, occurs in The Siege, V (p. 
426). Cf. Deloney, Jack of Newberry, Chap. I (p. 19). 
For analogues to this part of the scene, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 20. Fiametta's revelation to the Duke of the love 



204 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

of Ardelia and Bentivolio is reminiscent of Cassandra's 
treachery, A Wife for a Month, I, 2. 

The attempt on virtue and the defence of chastity which 
are represented in the dialogue between Valerio and Ar- 
delia have been treated in Chap. IV, Sect. 9. Valerio 's 
hold over Ardelia as a result of his having learned of her 
love for Bentivolio resembles De Flores' use of his knowl- 
edge of Beatrice's secret in The Changeling, III, 4. Se- 
crets are employed as goads in The Lovers' Progress, III, 6, 
The Fair Maid of the West, Part II, I, 1, The Second 
Maiden's Tragedy, IV, 1, The Witch, III, 1, Albovine, 
IV, 1, The Sparagus Garden, II, 6. A mortgage is used 
as a weapon against Lady Peregrine in The Example, I, 1. 
This scene seems employed in The Fair Favorite, III, 1 
(1638). For Valerio 's "You shall lead destiny . . . ," cf. 
Captain Underwit, II, 3. 

The conspiracy for the death of the Duke and, inciden- 
tally, of Bentivolio, which is now further revealed, should 
be compared with The Coronation, IV, 1, Julius Caesar, 
II, 1, Catiline, III, 3, while Bentivolio 's employment as a 
tool by Leontio seems based on the use of Sciarrha by 
Lorenzo, The Traitor, II, 1, IV, 1. 

Act V, Sc. 1. For Valerio 's attempted rape of Ardelia, 
see under St. Patrick for Ireland, III, 2. Ardelia 's de- 
fense of herself with a pistol when Valerio returns to claim 
his price has been mentioned with analogues under The 
Traitor, III, 3. The probable source of Valerio 's death at 
Bentivolio 's hands is Hamlet's slaying of Polonius behind 
the arras, Hamlet, III, 4. Law Tricks, III, [1], should be 
compared. Other deaths as a result of mistaken identity 
are to be found in The First Part of Jeronymo, p. 467, The 
Rape of Lucrece, V, 4, The Revenger's Tragedy, V, 1, The 
Turk, IV, 1, The Duchess of Main, V, 4, All's Lost by 
Lust, IV, 2, The Double Marriage, V, 2, The City Nightcap, 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 205 

V, 1, The Cruel Brother, V, 1, The Distracted State, IV, 1, 
Aglaura, V, 1, 2 (1637), Imperiale, III, 4 (reported). 
An interesting variation is to be found in Cartwright's 
Siege, III, 1, in which the stabbing takes place in a dream. 

Sc. 2. Pallante's pretense of remorse at the murder 
which he claims to have committed suggests that of the 
Second Murderer in Richard III, I, 4, and of Tyrrell in 
the same, IV, 3. Bentivolio's confession of the murder of 
the Duke, together with Horatio's admission of complicity 
in the deed in the next scene, seems a source for Hart- 
well's confession of the slaying of Startup, The Constant 
Maid, V, 1, 3 (see under that play). 

Sc. 3. Analogues to Horatio's false self -accusation, men- 
tioned in connection with the preceding scene, are found in 
The Insatiate Countess, III, Goffe's Orestes, IV, 5, The 
City Nightcap, V, 1, and The Lady Mother, V, 1, 2 (1635). 
Horatio's remark that his "humor's out of breath" may 
refer to Day's Comedy, Humor out of Breath. 

Sc. 4. For the penitence of the Duke, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 10. The Fair Favorite, V, 1 (1638), seems indebted 
to this incident. For the resurrection of the Duke, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 29. Cf. The Fair Favorite, V, 1. Leon- 
tio's surprising the Duke with Euphemia seems the basis 
for ibid., Ill, 1 (p. 244 ff.). The survival and happiness 
of the virtuous characters should be noted. 

For the epilogue in prose (save a couplet at the close) 
see under The Wedding. 

III. The Royal Master 

From the dedication to the Earl of Kildare which Shir- 
ley affixed to The Royal Master it would seem that that 
tragicomedy was his first play to be produced in Ireland 
(Schipper, James Shirley, p. 191; Fleay, Anglia, VIII, 
408). It may reasonably be dated 1637 (see Chap. II). 



206 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

According to Stiefel ( Romanische Forschungen, V, 196, 
note) the source of The Royal Master is a Spanish play. 
Miss Ott derives the story of Domitilla and the King from 
the Decameron of Boccaccio, X, 7 (Die Italienische Novelle 
im Englischen Drama, pp. 43-44). However, in some 
places The Royal Master parallels The Great Duke of 
Florence so closely that it seems certain that the resem- 
blance cannot be accidental. There seems also to be some 
relationship to A Maidenhead Well Lost. 

The scene of The Royal Master is laid in Naples. 

The King of Naples, a widower, entertains his brother- 
in-law, the Duke of Florence, at his court as a suitor to his 
sister. Montalto, the King's favorite, who loves the Prin- 
cess strives to break off the match. He contrives so that 
the Duke shall meet Domitilla, a beautiful young girl 
who lives secluded in the country. The King, who designs 
Domitilla as a wife for Montalto, broaches the matter to 
her. She misunderstands him and thinks he woos for him- 
self. Domitilla and her mother are ordered to court. 
Montalto tells the Duke that Theodosia loves the first, and 
pretends to confide to his enemy, Riviero (in the Duke's 
service in disguise), that she is not a maid. This the Duke 
learns, and tells the King, who questions his sister. She 
denies the charge. Montalto has informed Theodosia of 
the Duke's transfer of his love to Domitilla. She confronts 
the girl, and learns of her love for the King. Growing 
suspicious of Montalto, the King suggests that he marry 
the Princess to patch up her honor. Montalto falls into 
the trap and offers to do so, whereupon the King proposes 
that he pretend to frown upon his favorite, and orders 
him under arrest. The Duke woos Domitilla while the 
Princess eavesdrops. He is cured of his temporary pas- 
sion and is reconciled with Theodosia. Montalto and his 
parasites are exposed to the King by Riviero and his 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 207 

friends. To break off Domitilla's affection for him, the 
King pretends to court her for a mistress. She indignantly 
repulses him, and is upheld by Octavio, Riviero's son. As 
a result the King concludes a match between her and Oc- 
tavio. 

The parallels in incident between The Royal Master, 
The Great Duke of Florence, and A Maidenhead Well 
Lost will be pointed out in the detailed discussion which 
follows, as they are not brought out well by an outline. 
In A Maidenhead Well Lost, as well as in The Great Duke 
of Florence, we have an Italian scene, with a Duke of 
Florence in the action who, however, does not play the 
part of Shirley's Duke. The King of Naples in Shirley's 
play = Heywood's Duke of Milan, and Massinger 's Duke of 
Florence ; Montalto = Stroza and Sanazarro ; Theodosia = 
Julia and Fiorinda ; the Duke of Florence = the Prince of 
Parma and Giovanni; Domitilla = Lauretta and Lidia; 
Simphorosa = Lauretta 's Mother and Charomonte ; Bombo, 
Domitilla's " Secretary " = the Clown (who is the Mother's 
gentleman-usher) and Calandrino. Of course, the plays 
of Massinger and Heywood differ widely in some points 
from The Royal Master. Shirley's chief deviations from 
the earlier authors are in the character of the King and in 
his conduct towards Domitilla. 

For Montalto, the intriguing favorite, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 33. Unlike Sanazarro, in The Great Duke, Montalto 
is strong and a villain. Domitilla, the charming little 
country maiden, in her innocence and simplicity recalls 
Margaret in Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, Margaret in 
The Gentleman Usher, Imogen in Cymbeline, Perdita in 
The Winter 's Tale, Miranda in The Tempest, and Reginella 
in The Goblins. The disguised Philoberto (Riviero) seems 
a reminiscence of Philenzo as Rolliardo in The Bird in a 
Cage. He resembles also Phoenix in The Phoenix, and 



208 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Hercules as Fawn in The Fawn. For Bombo, the clown, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 46. Cf. also Lovell in The Lady 
Mother. Schipper unadvisedly compares Bombo with Fal- 
staff and Malvolio (James Shirley, p. 199). "Bombo" is 
one of the names of Pride in Pathomachia, IV, 4. Note 
also Rimbombo, the Cyclops, in Sicelides, and Bomby in 
Women Pleased. 

Act I, Sc. 1. For the King's mourning the dead Queen 
Caesaria, cf. The Great Duke of Florence, I, 2. Shirley 
used this previously in regard to Lord A., The Lady of 
Pleasure, III, 1. The relations of the Duke of Florence 
and Theodosia, as shown here, parallel closely those of the 
Duke and Duchess in The Humorous Courtier, and in The 
Opportunity. At the opening of The Great Duke, also, 
the match between Sanazarro and Fiorinda had been al- 
ready arranged. An allusion to The City Nightcap occurs, 
p. 107. The reference to Montalto as a colossus (p. 110) 
may be paralleled in Chabot, II, 1, IV, 1, Bussy D'Ambois, 

I, 1, Sejanus, I, 2, Julius Caesar, I, 2, The Turk, IV, 1, V, 3, 
Appius and Virginia, III, 1, Albertus Wallenstein, I, 1, 
V, 1 (1634-38), Hannibal and Scipio, IV, 2. 

Sc. 2. For Bombo 's entry with a book here and in II, 1, 
see under Chap. IV, Sect. 23. Cf. Guido's arrival with 
the news of the King's approach with Contarino, The 
Great Duke, I, 1. For Guido's conversation with Bombo, 
cf . Sanazarro and the servants, ibid., II, 2 ; note, too, in this 
connection Calandrino's simplicity, ibid., I, 1. The prepa- 
rations for the King's visit recall The Grateful Servant, 

II, 1, The Gentleman Usher, I, 1, A Mad World, My Mas- 
ters, II, 1, 2 (the visitor is not of royal rank in the last), 
The Great Duke, IV, 2, A Maidenhead Well Lost, III. See 
under The Cardinal, III, 2, for general analogues. Oc- 
tavio's complimenting Domitilla is reminiscent of Sanazar- 
ro 's falling in love with Lidia, The Great Duke, II, 3. 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 209 

Octavio's eulogy of life at court suggests Arcadius in The 
Coronation, II, 1, and is repeated in substance later by 
Giovanni, The Gentleman of Venice, II, 1. Cf. also Aim- 
well concerning Violetta, The Witty Fair One, I, 2, III, 3, 
and Playfair, The Constant Maid, IV, 3. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Gifford finds a satirical allusion in Bom- 
bo's remarks on court masques to the "court-poet of the 
day," and, of course, to Inigo Jones. Cf. Love in a Maze, 
IV, 2, A Contention for Honor and Riches, Sc. 1, and 
Honoria and Mammon, I, 1. See also The Maid's Tragedy, 

I, 1, and The Elder Brother, II, 2, for similar references 
to the constituents of court masques. For the reference 
to the appearance of Cupid in masques, see under The 
Coronation, IV, 3, and cf. Chap. IV, Sect. 18. For Bom- 
bo's drunkenness, see Chap. IV, Sect. 26, and cf. espe- 
cially The Two Angry Women of Abington, I, 2, II, 2, 
The New Inn, II, 2, III, 1, The Lady Mother, III, 1. The 
reference to "Venus' dandiprat" is paralleled in The Ar- 
cadia, I, 3, where Dyce derives the word from Stanyhurst's 
translation of 1. 719, Bk. I, of the Mneid. See The Con- 
stant Maid, IV, 3. It is applied also to Didymus, a page, 
in The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses, Sc. 1. Bombo's 
use of military terms in his drinking, as well as in III, 3, 
is paralleled in May-Day, IV, 1, The New Inn, III, 1, 
Microcosmus, III, The Ordinary, II, 1. Cf. the wooing 
of Domitilla by the King and her misunderstanding him 
with the Prince of Florence and Lauretta, A Maidenhead 
Well Lost, III. For courtship by proxy and misinterpre- 
tations, see Chap. IV, Sects. 3, and 27. 

Sc. 2. With III, 1, cf. The Great Duke of Florence, 
III, 1, and A Maidenhead Well Lost, I, 1, III, for slander- 
ing a lady. Note also The Wedding, I, 4. Analogues are 
Hoffman, II, Much Ado About Nothing, III, 2, Cymbeline, 

II, 4, The Queen's Arcadia, III, 4, The Woman Hater, 



III, 1, IV, 1, Philaster, II, 4, The Partial Law, II, 2, The 
Duke of Milan, IV, 3, The Deserving Favorite, II, 1, The 
Costly Whore, I, 1, The Platonic Lovers, II, 1 (cf. espe- 
cially Fredeline's telling of his love for Eurithea), The 
Lady Mother, I, 3. Montalto's insidious attacks upon the 
Duke here and in IV, 1, suggest Iago in Othello, III, 3, 

IV, 1. For Domitilla's being ordered to court, cf. The 
Loyal Subject, II, 6, and The Royal King and Loyal Sub- 
ject, II, 1. 

Act III, Sc. 1. For the resurrection of the supposedly 
dead Riviero here and in V, 2, see Chap. IV, Sect. 29. 
Cf. the comparison of Montalto to a comet (p. 140) with 
similar figures in The Court Secret, I, 1, The Imposture, 

V, 3, The Great Duke of Florence, I, 1, The Picture, II, 1, 
and Stroza concerning Sforza, A Maidenhead Well Lost, 
I, 1. Disraeli quotes Sir Dudley Digges in opening the 
impeachment proceedings against the Duke of Buckingham 
as comparing the Duke to a * ' meteor exhaled out of putrid 
matter" (Curiosities of Literature, The Secret History of 
Charles I and his first Parliaments). 

Sc. 2. Montalto attempts to divert Theodosia's thoughts 
from the Duke by betraying the new passion of the last for 
Domitilla; cf. II, 2, III, 1. See also The Doubtful Heir, 
IV, 2, for a later use by Shirley. Cf . Stroza and Julia, A 
Maidenhead Well Lost, I, 1. Contrast Theodosia's jealousy 
with Fiorinda's meekness, The Great Duke, V, 2. The in- 
quiries concerning the Duke's whereabouts recall Fiorinda 
and her maid, ibid., II, 1. 

Sc. 3. For Bombo on court-life, see under Love's 
Cruelty, I, 2. His refusal to entertain Domitilla's sugges- 
tion that he become a lay-friar, and his reasons for it are 
utilized by the Bard, St. Patrick for Ireland, V, 1. Cf. 
Bombo 's wish that he were a fool with Dogberry, Much 
Ado about Nothing, IV, 2, and note Startup, The Constant 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 211 

Maid, V, 3. See also The Late Lancashire Witches, II. 
Cf. Domitilla's " Tis your humility" with Shylock, The 
Merchant of Venice, III, 1. For Bombo's military figures, 
see under II, 1. His being called to go as ambassador sug- 
gests Monsieur D 'Olive. Castles in the air such as Domi- 
tilla's (p. 147-48) are found in The Grateful Servant, 

II, 1, The Humorous Courtier, IV, 1, V, 2, Honoria and 
Mammon, II, 1, IV, 2, Twelfth Night, II, 5, The Miseries 
of Enforced Marriage, IV, Ram Alley, III, 1, A Trick to 
Catch the Old One, IV, 4, Albumazar, II, 4, The Parlia- 
ment of Love, II, 1, Believe as You List, III, 2, The Ordi- 
nary, II, 3, Cartwright's Siege, II, 2 (1637). Domitilla's 
disquisition on a subject's rising to the regal rank through 
virtue has more or less close parallels in the passages on 
true nobility and on rising by virtue in The Bird in a 
Cage, II, 1, The Coronation, IV, 1, Hyde Park, V, 1, The 
Ball, IV, 1. Cf. also Every Man in his Humor, I, 1, 
Catiline, II, 1, The Duchess of Main, II, 1, The Custom of 
the Country, II, 1, The Shepherds' Holiday, IV, 3, Albertus 
Wallenstein, IV, 1 (1634-38), The Queen of Arragon, 

III, 1 (1640). Cf. also Chaucer's "Wife of Bath's Tale, 11. 
1109-1206. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. Koeppel derives the Duke's comparison 
of Theodosia to a fallen star (p. 154) from Henry VIII, 

IV, 1 (Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 61). The King's in- 
terrogation of Theodosia concerning Montalto's charges 
against her resembles Theander's examination of his sister, 
Ariola, concerning her relations with Phylomont, The Pla- 
tonic Lovers, III, 1. There, however, the point at issue is 
not the lady's chastity. Theodosia 's jealousy of Domitilla 
expressed in the scene between the two recalls Love in a 
Maze, II, 2 (see also II, 3). Note the later Imposture, V, 2, 
3, 5, and Court Secret, II, 2. Cf. Love's Pilgrimage, 
III, 2, Fair Em, II, 2, A Midsummer Night's Dream, III, 2, 



212 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Match Me in London, III, A Maidenhead Well Lost, I, 1, 
and contrast The Great Duke, V, 3. Montalto's hesitating 
to stab the Duke (p. 163) is reminiscent of Antonio's Re- 
venge, III, 2, Hamlet, III, 3, and Humor out of Breath, I, 2. 

Cf. Bombo's scene following with Calandrino and Gio- 
vanni, The Great Duke of Florence, III, 1. Calandrino, 
like Bombo, enters "fantastically dressed," and in the 
course of the dialogue, makes some satirical remarks on 
court-life. Cf. also Short-hose in Wit Without Money, 
II, 3, and the Clown (who is "gallant") in A Maidenhead 
Well Lost, III. For Bombo's allusion to the "lady of Le- 
ander's lake," cf. Koeppel, Reflexe der Ritter-Romane im 
Drama, p. 197, note. Bombo's definition of honor (p. 166) 
should be compared with The Nice Valor, III, 2, Henry IV, 
Part I, V, 1, Bussy D'Ambois, II, 1, Valentinian, III, 3. 
Cf. also Richard III, I, 4, Othello, II, 3, The City Wit, I, 1, 
The Fancies Chaste and Noble, I, 1, 3, for similar bur- 
lesque definitions and commentaries. Note the King's defi- 
nition of conscience, The Noble Soldier, IV, 2. See under 
The Sisters, I, 1. 

For the King's test of Montalto, see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. 
Cf. the King's suggesting the marriage of Montalto and 
Theodosia with Wilding's forwarding the match between 
Hazard and Penelope, The Gamester, V, 1. The pretended 
disgrace of Montalto recalls the arrest of Sanazarro, The 
Great Duke, V, 1. The King's concealment of his knowl- 
edge of Montalto's machinations parallels the Duke's sup- 
pressing his knowledge of the deceit of Sanazarro and Gio- 
vanni, ibid., Ill, 1. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Bombo, like Calandrino in The Great 
Duke (III, 1), returns to the country after showing him- 
self in his gay attire. For Theodosia 's eavesdropping (p. 
173 ff.), see under Chap. IV, Sect. 30. For the Duke's 
return to Theodosia, cf. The Coronation, IV, 3, and see 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 213 

Chap. Ill, for Shirley's fickle lovers. Cf. Fiorinda's for- 
giveness of Sanazarro, The Great Duke, V, 2. The Duke's 
soliloquy before Theodosia's appearance corresponds with 
Sanazarro 's soliloquy, ibid., V, 1, and his repentance, as 
expressed at the end of the scene recalls Sanazarro 's 
(ibid.). 

Sc. 2. The presentation of petitions to the King by 
Eiviero, Andrugio, and the others brings to mind Phoenix 
in disguise presenting to his father accounts of the various 
crimes of which he has learned, The Phoenix, V, 1. For 
Montalto's disgrace, cf. Sejanus, V, 10, The Gentleman 
Usher, V, 1, The Phoenix, V, 1, A Maidenhead Well Lost, 
V (the victory over Stroza). For the use of the title of 
the play in the text, see Chap. IV, Sect. 31. Miss Ott, as 
quoted, Neilson (Cam. Hist. Eng. Lit., VI, 230), and Ward 
(Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 116, note), agree in finding 
the source for the King's curing Domitilla's love for him 
by pretending to woo her to unchastity in the Decameron, 
Day X, Novel 7. There is no need of going to Italian 
novels for a source for this incident. In The Deserving 
Favorite, II, 1, Lysander, who desires his mistress, Cla- 
rinda, to transfer her affections from him to the Duke, pre- 
tends to make advances to her. She, however, unlike 
Domitilla, suspects his sincerity and tests him. Also in 
The Faithful Shepherdess, IV, 5, occurs a reversal. Clorin, 
by pretending to yield to Thenot's suit, cures him of his 
love for her. For her defense of her chastity against the 
pretended advances of the King, see Chap. IV, Sect. 9. 
For the public announcement of Riviero's being in life, cf. 
Ill, 1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 29. 

IV. The Doubtful Heir 

The date of The Doubtful Heir is fixed, approximately, 
by the references in the Dublin prologue to Claricilla and 



214 

Aglaura, the first of which appeared in 1636, and the sec- 
ond in 1637. It therefore may be dated after Shirley's 
return to Ireland in 1637, possibly in the latter part of 
that year or the early part of 1638. Its Irish production 
was under the title Love's Victory. 4 As Rosania, it was 
licensed in England, June 1, 1640, and it was printed as 
The Doubtful Heir in 1652. 

The Doubtful Heir is one of Shirley's most Fletcherian 
plays, and therefore falls in the same class as The Grate- 
ful Servant and The Coronation, for instance. But an- 
other fact connects it with The Coronation. Shirley has 
drawn upon the earlier play for much of the plot of The 
Doubtful Heir. Through the two earlier plays, also, the 
influence of A King and No King and of Philaster may be 
traced. 

The plot of the play runs as follows : 

Ferdinand, heir to the Murcian throne, who has been 
thought to have died in infancy, has been brought up in 
Valencia, in fear of his unscrupulous uncle's designs. 
When he reaches manhood, Ferdinand attempts to seize 
the throne which is occupied by his cousin, Olivia, but is 
defeated and captured with his mistress, Rosania, who is 
in page's clothing. He is tried for treason. Olivia, who 
presides at the trial, falls in love with him and offers him 
her hand, although she is betrothed to Leonario, Prince 
of Arragon. Ferdinand prudently accepts her hand, but 
does not claim his conjugal rights after their marriage. 
Angered, the Queen in revenge woos Ferdinand's page, 
Tiberio, who is Rosania disguised, and arranges a meeting 
for them in her chamber. Ferdinand and Rosania plan 
then that the former shall break in, and surprise his wife, 
thus obtaining ground for a divorce. Ferdinand's plan 

i Halliwell, Diet. 0. E. Plays, p. 156, confuses Shirley's Love's 
Victory with a MS. pastoral with the same title. 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 215 

is carried out, but Olivia, who has learned ' ' Tiberio 's ' ' 
real sex defies her husband, and exposes his conspiracy. 
Ferdinand and Rosania are then imprisoned, but are re- 
leased by Leandro, an old lord, who possesses proofs of 
Ferdinand's right to the throne. Ferdinand then deposes 
Olivia. In the moment of his triumph troops appear which 
are thought to be those summoned from Arragon by 
Leonario. However, they are Valencian allies of Ferdi- 
nand, led by Rosania 's father. The play ends with the 
uniting of Ferdinand and Rosania, and of Leonario and 
Olivia. 

Thus it will be seen that Sophia in The Coronation, sup- 
posed Queen of Epire = Olivia in The Doubtful Heir, 
supposed Queen of Murcia; and, proceeding through the 
dramatis persona, Lisimachus, betrothed to Sophia = 
Leonario, betrothed to Olivia; Demetrius and Leonatus, 
heirs to the throne of Epire, concealed in infancy, and 
thought dead = Ferdinand ; Polidora, betrothed to Deme- 
trius = Rosania ; Eubulus and Macarius, who are supposed 
to be the father and uncle, respectively, of Demetrius and 
Leonatus, and who know the secret of their birth = Lean- 
dro, who knows the true derivation of Ferdinand ; also Cas- 
sander, who sets up Leonatus as a pretender = Leandro, 
who reasserts Ferdinand's title. The incidents from The 
Coronation which are utilized in The Doubtful Heir will 
be considered in the discussion of the play (see also Nason, 
James Shirley, Chap. XVI). 

There is some resemblance between the situation of 
Ferdinand and Rosania, and that of Perkin and Katherine, 
Perkin Warbeck, IV, 3, etc. Ferdinand's predicament 
when wedded to Olivia although betrothed to Rosania 
recalls Amintor in The Maid's Tragedy, who marries 
Evadne, though betrothed to Aspatia (who, like Rosania, 
assumes male clothing in the course of the play). For 



216 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

analogues to the lost child motive, see under The Gentleman 
of Venice, V, 4. 

For parallels to the fickle Olivia in Shirley 's other plays, 
see Chap. III. For the girl in male costume (Rosania), 
and the blunt soldier (the Captain), see Chap. IV, Sects. 
32 and 39. 

Act I, Sc. I. 5 The dunning of the Captain by the two 
Citizens suggests The Merchant of Venice, III, 3, IV, 1, 
If You Know not Me, You Know Nobody, Part II, p. 328, 
Albovine, II, 1, III, 1, and The Unfortunate Lovers, II, 1, 
III, 1 (1638). Note also Character IV of The Parliament 
of Bees, and see under The Duke's Mistress, I, 1. For the 
report that Ferdinand is alive, cf. the confirmation of the 
same, V, 4, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 29. For the account 
of the false burial of the infant Ferdinand, cf . The Corona- 
tion, III, 2, V, 3. See also Believe as You List, II, 2. 

Act II, Sc. 1, is devoted almost entirely to an expository 
soliloquy by Leandro. 

Sc. 2 shows the Captain and his two creditors, whom he 
had tricked into enlisting at the end of I, 1, as returned 
from the war. There is some satire on broken soldiers' 
setting up as courtiers. 

Sc. 3. For the parallels to the prison setting, and to 
Rosania 's male disguise, see Chap. IV, Sects. 14 and 32. 
Shirley differs from the majority of dramatists who have 
ladies in male clothing follow their lovers in that Ferdi- 
nand knows the true sex of his seeming page. The love- 
scene between Ferdinand and Rosania corresponds in a 
general way to that between Demetrius and Polidora, The 
Coronation, II, 1. Analogues to the master in prison at- 
tended by a faithful page occur in The Ladies' Privilege, 
III, and Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt, III, 4, 6. 

6 For the occurrence of the early titles in the Dublin prologue, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 31. 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 217 

Sc. 4. For analogous trials in courts of law, etc., see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 17. Ferdinand's defense of himself and 
his motives (p. 304 ff.) suggests Perkin, Perkin Warbeck, 

II, 1. Cf. also, The Ladies' Privilege, IV. For Ferdi- 
nand's account of his page (p. 307), cf. The Grateful Serv- 
ant, I, 2, Philaster, I, 2, The Lover's Melancholy, I, 1. 
Olivia's falling in love with Ferdinand during the scene, 
as manifested by her asides, is paralleled in The Humorous 
Courtier, I, 1 (pretended), The Opportunity, I, 2, The 
Coronation, II, 3, The Iron Age, Part I, I, 1, Wit without 
Money, I, 2, The Prophetess, III, 3, The Maid of Honor, 
IV, 4, Nero, IV, 5. Olivia's pardoning of Ferdinand and 
leaving the stage, escorted by him, is drawn from Sophia's 
choosing Demetrius as her husband, The Coronation, II, 
3. For a queen's falling in love with a rebel and marry- 
ing him, cf . The Queen, I. For Olivia 's practically offering 
her hand to Ferdinand, see Chap. IV, Sect. 1. Ferdinand's 
apparent desertion of Rosania for the Queen is based on the 
conduct of Demetrius towards Polidora, The Coronation, II, 
3. Ferdinand, however, intends to temporize, while Deme- 
trius is led on by ambition. Cf . also A King and No King, 

III, 1, The Double Marriage, II, 3, The Prophetess, II, 3, 
The Fair Maid of the Inn, IV, 1, All's Lost by Lust, II, 6, 
The Maid of Honor, IV, 4. He is in the same predicament 
as Antonius in The Virgin-Martyr, I, 1. 

Act III, Sc. 1. The discussion of the marriage-night 
of Ferdinand and Olivia, although in a different tone, re- 
calls passages in The Maid's Tragedy, III, 1, and A Wife 
for a Month, IV, 2. The following comic scene between 
the Captain and the Citizens is perhaps based on Florello, 
Punto, and Staccata, The Just Italian, IV, 1. Cf. also 
Mardonius, Bessus, and the Swordmen, A King and No 
King, IV, 3, V, 3, and Romont and the Creditors, The 
Fatal Dowry, I, 1. See Nason, James Shirley, Chap. XVI. 



218 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

For the Captain's eavesdropping and that of Ferdinand, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. See Chap. IV, Sect. 8, for Olivia's 
pretending to make love to Rosania disguised as a page. 
The incident may be derived directly from Anything for 
a Quiet Life, III, 1, etc., in which Mrs. Knavesby pretends 
love for Mrs. Cressingham who is clothed as a page. Note 
also that an analogue occurs in No Wit, No Help Like a 
Woman's, II, 3, V, 1, for which Shirley wrote a prologue 
in 1638. In The Antiquary, IV, 1, iEmilia woos Angelia 
as a page, while Lorenzo, the former 's husband, eavesdrops, 
as does Ferdinand. See also James IV, V, 1. For Ferdi- 
nand's spying, cf. The Maid's Revenge, II, 2. Langbaine 
derives either this scene or IV, 2, from The English Ad- 
ventures, Part III (Dramatic Poets, p. 484). Cf. the con- 
versation of Rosania and Ferdinand after Olivia's exit 
with The Coronation, IV, 3, and note A King and No King, 
IV, 2. For Ferdinand's abstaining from Olivia's bed, cf. 
Alphonso and the Queen, The Queen, I, II. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. The misgivings of the courtiers regard- 
ing the relations of the Queen and Rosania as Tiberio are 
drawn probably from Philaster, II, 4, III, 1, but cf. The 
Grateful Servant, II, 1, III, 1. Cf. the comments on 
Ferdinand's rise at court with The Opportunity, II, 2. 
Ferdinand's lines, ''Had she more ornament ..." (p. 
327), seem derived from Marlowe's "If all the pens that 
poets ever held . . . , " Tamburlaine, Part I, V, 2, but cf . 
The Iron Age, Part II, V, 1. For Rosania 's offering to 
resign Ferdinand to Olivia in order to secure his com- 
fort, see Chap. IV, Sect. 4. Cf. especially, The Sea Voyage, 
IV, 2, and The Double Marriage, III, 3. Cf. Ferdinand's 
plot against the Queen with Cornari and Florelli, The 
Gentleman of Venice, IV, 3. 

Sc. 2. Leonario's telling Olivia of what he has learned 
of the relations of Ferdinand and Rosania from the eaves- 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 219 

dropping Captain suggests Montalto and Theodosia in The 
Royal Master, III, 2. Leonario's motives, however, are 
honorable. Cf. also The Witch, III, 2, Love's Sacrifice, 

III, 3, The Lady's Trial, II, 3. Olivia's imagining Ro- 
sania disguised as Tiberio to be a woman, and herself a 
man suggests Love Tricks, V, 1, Gallathea, IV, 4, As You 
Like It, III, 2, etc. For Olivia's mention of Venus and 
Adonis, cf . The Sisters, III, 2, Every Woman in her Humor, 
II, 1, The Return from Parnassus, Part I, III, 1 (quoted), 

IV, 1, The Fair Maid of the Exchange, p. 55, A Mad 
World, My Masters, I, 2, The Dumb Knight, III, 1, The 
Bondman, I, 2, The Noble Stranger, IV (1638). Olivia 
approaches in her mock courtship, the invitation to love 
for which see under Love's Cruelty, II, 2. Cf. Ferdinand's 
surprising the disguised Rosania in Olivia's chamber with 
No Wit, No Help like a Woman's, V, 1, and The Lover's 
Melancholy, III, 2. See also Philaster, IV, 3, and Bren- 
noralt, V, 2 (1639). The dressing of Rosania in woman's 
clothes to " disguise" her seems based upon Philippa's 
similar device in The Widow, V, 1. The disclosure of 
Rosania 's true sex suggests Philaster, V, 5, while Olivia's 
defending herself against Ferdinand's charge of infidelity 
by a countercharge recalls The Antiquary, IV, 1. 

Act V, Sc. 1, represents the setting on foot by Leandro 
of a plot to restore Ferdinand to the throne of Murcia. 
Cf. The Coronation, IV, 1. 

Sc. 2. For the prison setting, and for Ferdinand and 
his book, see Chap. IV, Sects. 14 and 23. The combination 
of prison, book, and soliloquy recall Bertoldo, The Maid 
of Honor, IV, 3. Each receives his freedom after he 
soliloquizes. For the recognition of Ferdinand as King, 
cf. The Coronation, III, 2, IV, 1. As has been noted, the 
stories of the concealment of the respective infants cor- 
respond very closely. 



Sc. 3. The performances of the Captain and the Citi- 
zens are partially based on Bessus, Bacurius, and the 
Swordmen, A King and No King, V, 3. The Citizens' dis- 
covery that they are not altogether cowards suggests 
strongly Ariotto and Lizaro in Davenant's Siege, IV, 1. 
Cf. also The Little French Lawyer, II, 2. 

Sc. 4. For the revolt, see under The Politician, IV, 3 
(a timely revolt is as useful in a romance as a resurrection 
for untangling complications). A notable surprise comes 
at the close of the play in the discovery that Alfonso, who 
had entered the city as an Arragonese ally of Olivia, is, 
in reality, a Valencian, a friend of Ferdinand's, and the 
father of Rosania. 

V. St. Patrick For Ireland 

St. Patrick for Ireland, Part I, was acted only in Dub- 
lin, apparently, since there is no record of its having been 
licensed for the London stage. The date of its perform- 
ance may be set at about 1639, the date given by Chet- 
wood on the titlepage of his reprint of the play in 1751. 
Whether or not Chetwood had any authority for this date 
is a matter of conjecture. In any case, he cannot be far 
wrong. The second part promised in the prologue and 
epilogue seems never to have materialized. 

Ward suggests as possibly related to St. Patrick, Kirke's 
Seven Champions of Christendom, or Calderon's El Pur- 
gatorio de San Patricio (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 100, 
note). The Seven Champions which was produced at the 
Cockpit before 1636 (Fleay, Biog. Chron., II, 25), is a 
strange hodge-podge, apparently from its structure and 
character a reworking of a very early play. Shirley may 
have got the idea of St. Patrick from it; certainly there 
are some parallels between The Seven Champions and 
Shirley's play. There seems no indebtedness to El Purga- 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 221 

torio in St. Patrick. The two differ widely in characters 
and plot. The Spanish play, which begins with Patrick's 
becoming a slave after a shipwreck, covers many years. 
One character journeys through Purgatory. However, in 
both plays the saint has a vision (in which his future mis- 
sion is foretold by an angel), a miraculous escape from 
death, and he performs a resurrection. Likewise, a profli- 
gate and ravisher takes part in both plays. Good and bad 
angels are characters in common. In both a character 
sinks into the ground, in El Purgatorio to purgatory, in 
St. Patrick presumably to hell. 

Probably St. Patrick was written as a sort of concession 
to the tastes of the Dublin populace. Its source seems 
to have been some common account of the life of St. Pat- 
rick with perhaps hints from various other sources. It 
should be noted that Shirley's St. Albans perhaps was 
of much the same character as St. Patrick. Other plays 
besides The Seven Champions which deal with saints' 
lives are A Shoemaker a Gentleman (printed 1638), The 
Virgin-Martyr, and The Martyred Soldier. For more or 
less analogous supernatural elements, cf. also Doctor 
Faustus, The Wars of Cyrus, Friar Bacon and Friar 
Bungay, The Wisdom of Doctor Dodypoll, Grim, the Col- 
lier of Croydon, The Devil is an Ass, Bussy D'Ambois, 
Macbeth, The Tempest, If This Be Not a Good Play, the 
Devil Is in It, The Triumph of Death, The Prophetess, 
The Devil's Charter, The Picture, Trapolin Supposed a 
Prince. As examples of the spectacular, which have some- 
thing, therefore, in common with St. Patrick, Heywood's 
five Ages (printed 1611, 1613, 1632) should not be over- 
looked. The name of Archimagus suggests a recollection 
of The Faery Queen. 

The plot of St. Patrick follows: 

St. Patrick comes to Ireland attended by a guardian 



222 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

angel, Victor, and a number of priests. He drives before 
him the hostile spirits of Archimagus, the pagan chief 
priest. Dichu, an Irish courtier, is converted to Chris- 
tianity. Leogarius, King of Ireland, who is inimical to 
St. Patrick, condemns Dichu 's sons, Ferochus and En- 
darius, to death. To escape this fate, they play the part 
of idols in the temple at the connivance of Archimagus. 
Leogarius attempts to poison Patrick who is preserved by 
his sanctity. Rodamant, Archimagus' servant, drinks part 
of the poison, and dies, but is revived by the saint. Leo- 
garius' Queen is converted by this miracle. Milcho, Pat- 
rick's former master, sets fire to his house in which are 
the saint, the Queen, and a Bard. They are preserved, 
but Milcho perishes. In the meantime, Corybreus, elder 
son to the King and a rival to his brother, Conallus, in 
the affections of Milcho 's daughter, Emeria, receives from 
Archimagus a magic bracelet which confers invisibility 
upon the wearer and by its aid, in the guise of a god, 
ravishes Emeria. When he repeats his visit, she stabs him 
to death. Rodamant secures the bracelet and employs it 
in some comic scenes. The various characters then all 
meet in the forest. Archimagus, as a last resort, causes 
all the venomous reptiles in Ireland to attack Patrick who 
banishes them from the island. Archimagus then is swal- 
lowed up by the earth, the King, Endarius, Fedellus, and 
the rest are converted, while the unhappy Emeria founds 
a convent. 

The characters in St. Patrick thus roughly correspond 
to those in The Virgin-Martyr ; Dioclesian and Theophilus == 
Leogarius ; Theophilus = Dichu ; Dorothea = St. Patrick ; 
Angelo = Victor ; Harpax = Archimagus ; Spungius and 
Hircius = Rodamant and the Bard; Calista and Chris- 
teta = Fedella and Ethne. In The Martyred Soldier of 
Henry Shirley (before 1627) we have St. Eugenius, an 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 223 

Angel, a Clown, converted persecutors, and court ladies. 

St. Patrick also recalls the Hermit in The Birth of Mer- 
lin, St. Dunstan in Grim, the Collier of Croydon, and the 
various saints in A Shoemaker a Gentleman. Victor, his 
angelic attendant, is paralleled by the Good Angel in 
Doctor Faustus, the Angel of Winifred's Well in A Shoe- 
maker a Gentleman, the Angels in If You Know Not Me, 
You Know Nobody, Part I, the Genius in The Queen's 
Exchange, the Genius in The Queen and Concubine, the 
Attendant Spirit in Comus. 

Cf. Archimagus as a magician with Brian Sansfoy in 
Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes, Faustus in Doctor Faustus, 
the Magician in The Wars of Cyrus, Sacrapant in The 
Old Wives' Tale, Friar Bacon, Friar Bungay and Van- 
dermast in Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, Merlin and 
Proximus in The Birth of Merlin, Peter Fabel in The 
Merry Devil of Edmonton, Erectho in Sophronisba, the 
Witches in Macbeth, Prospero in The Tempest, Pope Alex- 
ander in The Devil's Charter, Hecate in The Witch, 
Mother Sawyer in The Witch of Edmonton, the Witches 
in The Late Lancashire Witches, Ormandine and Argalio 
in The Seven Champions of Christendom, Comus in Comus, 
Mago in Trapolin Supposed a Prince. For his Evil Spirits, 
cf. Mephistophelis and the Bad Angel in Doctor Faustus, 
La Pucelle's Fiends in Henry VI, Part I, Akercock in 
Grim, the Collier of Croydon, Pope Alexander's Devils in 
The Devil's Charter, the fiends in If This Be Not a Good 
Play, the Devil Is in It, Tarpax and the other spirits in 
The Seven Champions of Christendom, Eo, Meo, and Areo, 
in Trapolin Supposed a Prince. Magicians and conjurers, 
genuine or fraudulent, have often a clownish servant, hence 
Rodamant. Cf. Scarabeo in The Maid's Revenge, and 
Carlo in The Bird in a Cage, Wagner in Doctor Faustus, 
Miles in Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, the Clown in 



224 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

The Birth of Merlin, Akercock in Grim, the Collier of 
Croydon, Caliban in The Tempest, Suckabus in The Seven 
Champions. Cf. the Bard with the Harper in Edward 

1, and note the Clowns in Doctor Faustus. For other 
clowns, see Chap. IV, Sect. 46. 

Act I, Sc. 1. Archimagus' receiving news of the coming 
of the Christians recalls Argalio, The Seven Champions 
of Christendom, IV. Cf. also The Tempest, I, 2. Archi- 
magus' reproof of the Magicians suggests Prospero's re- 
buke to Ariel in the latter scene. For an employment of 
the prophecy or oracle analogous to that in this scene and 
V, 3, see Shirley's Arcadia, I, 1, V, 2, The Contention of 
Ajax and Ulysses, Sc. 2, The Lovers' Progress, III, 5, IV, 

2, Cf. also Jocasta, I, 1, III, 1, Sapho and Phao, II, 1, 
Midas, II, 2, V, 3, Mother Bombie, II, 3, III, 1, 4, V, 2, 
Alphonsus, King of Arragon, III, IV, Edward I, p. 383, 
Henry VI, Part I, V, 3, Part II, I, 4, Part III, IV, 6, V, 6, 
King John, IV, 2, V, 2, Richard III, I, 1, 3, IV, 2, V, 1, 
Troilus and Cressida, II, 2, Julius Caesar, I, 2, III, 1, 
Macbeth I, 3, IV, 1, Antony and Cleopatra, II, 3, Cymbe- 
line, V, 4, 5, The Winter's Tale, III, 2, Henry VIII, I, 2, 
V, 5, Edward III, IV, 3, The Birth of Merlin, I, 2, III, 

3, IV, 5, etc., Edward IV, Part II, p. 131, The Golden Age, 

1, 1, IV, 1, The Iron Age, Part I, I, 1, II, 1, The Rape of 
Lucrece, II, 2, Love's Mistress, I, 1, Lust's Dominion, III, 

2, The Thracian Wonder, II, 3, V, 2, If This Be Not a 
Good Play, the Devil Is in It, p. 305, Hymen's Triumph, 
III, 4 (reported), Sicelides, III, 6, Bonduca, III, 1 
(omens), The Mad Lover, V, 3, The Prophetess, II, 1, 
Fuimus Troes, III, 3, May's Cleopatra, II (omens), Anti- 
gone, III, V, The Roman Actor, V, 1, The Lovesick Court, 
I, 2, Randolph's Amyntas, I, 5, The Seven Champions of 
Christendom, I, III, IV, The Shepherds' Holiday, II, 1, 
III, 2, The Lady Errant, V, 2, The Virgin Widow, V, 1. 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 225 

The flight of Archimagus' evil spirits before St. Pat- 
rick may be drawn from the flight of Harpax before 
Angelo, The Virgin-Martyr, IV, 3. Cf. also Friar Bacon 
and Friar Bungay, p. 168, The Birth of Merlin, II, 3, 
The Seven Champions of Christendom, III. The striking 
of Dichu motionless as he attempts to attack the saint is 
based upon The Virgin-Martyr, IV, 1, in which Sapritius 
is stricken as he orders the ravishment of Dorothea. Cf. 
also James IV, Induction, Friar Bacon and Friar Bun- 
gay, pp. 159, 162, Doctor Faustus, V, 1, The Birth of 
Merlin, IV, 5, The Lovesick King, I, The Tempest, I, 2, 
V, 1, The Prophetess, I, 3, The Martyred Soldier, IV, 3. 
Cf. the unsuccessful attempts upon Patrick's life here, 
and in III, 1, V, 3, with Shacklesoul's temptations of the 
Subprior, If This Be Not a Good Play, the Devil Is in It, 
pp. 312 ff., 331 ff. For Dichu 's conversion, cf. The Vir- 
gin-Martyr, III, 1, 2, and The Martyred Soldier, I, 2. 

Act II, Sc. 1. For the entrance of Rodamant with a 
book, see Chap. IV, Sect. 23. Analogues also for the 
eavesdropping of Corybreus and Archimagus (cf. IV, 1) 
and the attempt of the former upon the virtue of Emeria 
are cited in Chap. IV, Sects. 30 and 9. 

Sc. 2. For the setting in a temple, cf. Alphonsus, King 
of Arragon, IV, Pericles, V, 3, A Game at Chess, V, 1, 
Fuimus Troes, II, 6, etc., The Jealous Lovers, V, 6. The 
posing as idols of Ferochus and Endarius in this scene and 
in IV, 2, may be derived from The Mad Lover, V, 3. 
Note also Corybreus as a god, III, 2, IV, 1, and cf. The 
Trial of Chivalry, IV, 1. The moving of the "idols" 
recalls the statue of Hymen, The Jealous Lovers, V, 6. Cf. 
The Two Noble Kinsmen, V, 1, 2, 3. Parallels to Roda- 
mant 's jest on "keeping the door" are found in The 
Duke's Mistress, V, 4, The Opportunity, V, 1, The Con- 
stant Maid, III, 1, The Lovers' Progress, I, 1, The Brazen 



Age, p. 228, Blurt, Master-Constable, II, 2, Westward Ho, 
V, 1, The Honest Whore, Part I, IV, 1, Part II, III, 2, 
The Wonder of a Kingdom, III, 1, The Revenge of Bussy 
D'Ambois, I, 1, Othello, IV, 2, Pericles, IV, 6, The Elder 
Brother, IV, 4, The Parliament of Love, IV, 3, The Mar- 
tyred Soldier, IV, 3, Covent Garden, V, 2, Microcosmus, 
V, Osmond, the Great Turk, IV. 

Act III, Sc. 1. Rodamant's passion for the Queen, as 
expressed in his opening soliloquy and in following scenes, 
recalls Suckabus' frequent references to his mother, Calib's 
possessions as "Queen of Helvetia" in The Seven Cham- 
pions of Christendom (see III, for instance). Cf. also 
Bertoldi and Fioretta in The Imposture, and Labesha 
and Martia in An Humorous Day's Mirth. The scene 
with the Bard which follows recalls Edward I, p. 382 ff. 
The attempted poisoning of St. Patrick and the failure 
to injure the saint thereby are related, seemingly, to The 
Virgin-Martyr, IV, 2, in which Dorothea is whipped, but 
by divine intervention, suffers no injury. Cf. also The 
Martyred Soldier, III, 4 (the torture of St. Eugenius), 
and note also the escape of St. Anthony and St. Andrew 
from death at the hands of the Emperor of Trebizon, The 
Seven Champions of Christendom, II. For general ana- 
logues to the use of poison, and to the resurrection of Roda- 
mant, see Chap. IV, Sects. 11, 12, and 29. Cf. with the 
latter the curing of Henrick of a scorpion's bite by St. 
Eugenius, The Martyred Soldier, III, 4. The conversion 
of the Queen by the miraculous reviving of Rodamant sug- 
gests the conversion of Theophilus, The Virgin-Martyr, V, 
1. The King's ordering her into confinement recalls the 
punishment of Calista and Christeta for the same offense, 
ibid., Ill, 2. 

Sc. 2. For the use of sleeping draughts, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 13 (used here differently). Note the Magician's en- 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 227 

chanting Panthea in her sleep at the desire of Araspas, 
The Wars of Cyrus, II. Ward derives Corybreus' visit 
to Emeria as the god Ceanerachius from Josephus (Bk. 
XIII, Chap. IV), or from Bandello (Part III, Novel 19) 
(Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 100, note). Miss Ott sug- 
gests Bandello as the source (Die Italienische Novelle im 
Englischen Drama, p. 78 ff.). The incident is found in 
varying forms, as in the story of Mundus and Paulina, 
Confessio Amantis, Bk. I, 11. 761-1059; the story of Nac- 
tabanus, ibid., Bk. VI, 11. 1789-2366 ; and in various other 
versions of the story of the parentage of Alexander the 
Great. See also Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum 
Britanniae, Bk. VIII, Chap. 19 (the parentage of King 
Arthur) ; Friar Onion as the angel Gabriel in Tarlton's 
News out of Purgatory; Boccaccio, Decameron, Day IV, 
Novel 2. Cf. the reversal of the disguise (Jupiter as a 
mortal) in Amphitruo, I, 3, etc., and The Silver Age, II, 

1, For disguises as gods, see II, 2, IV, 1, 2, and cf. The 
Nice Valor, II, 1, The Triumph of Honor, Sc. 2, The 
Mad Lover, V, 3. Emeria 's cry of "Who is't calls 
Emeria?" (p. 403) suggests Hieronymo, "Who calls 
Hieronymo?" The Spanish Tragedy, II, 4. Cf. Lust's 
Dominion, III, 3, The Trial of Chivalry, II, 3, Antigone, 
V, and see under The Constant Maid, I, 1. 

Note particularly in relation to Corybreus' rape of 
Emeria the attempted ravishment of Dorothea, The Virgin- 
Martyr, IV, 1. Parallels occur in Dick of Devonshire, II, 

2, Double Falsehood, II, 1 (reported), Titus Andronicus, 
II, 3, 4, The Golden Age, II, 1, The Rape of Lucrece, IV, 

3, The Mayor of Queenborough, III, 2, The Spanish Gipsy, 
I, 3, The Death of Robert, Earl of Huntington, I, 3 (re- 
ported), Valentinian, II, 6, III, 1, The Queen of Corinth, 
I, 4, II, 1, V, 2, All's Lost by Lust, II, 1, The Unnatural 
Combat, V, 1, The Cruel Brother, IV, 1, The Unfortunate 



228 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Lovers, V, 1 (reported), The Swisser, III, 3, Imperiale, 
V, 5 (reported). Rape is attempted in The Cardinal, V, 
3, The Duke's Mistress, Y, 1, The Example, III, 1, The 
Wars of Cyrus, II (threatened), The Two Gentlemen of 
Verona, V, 4, The Tempest, I, 2, The Woman Hater, V, 
5 (pretended), The Faithful Shepherdess, IV, 3, V, 3, 
The Poor Man's Comfort, II, IV, The Lovesick Court, 
IV, 2, The Court Beggar, III, 1 (reported), The Deserv- 
ing Favorite, IV, 1, Love Crowns the End, p. 11, The 
Bashful Lover, III, 3, The Shepherds' Holiday, V, 2. 
Ravishment is pretended in Lust's Dominion, V, 1, The 
Queen of Corinth, V, 2, Revenge for Honor, III, 1, Osmond, 
the Great Turk, III. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. Milcho's advising Emeria to forsake 
Conallus for Corybreus is a reminiscence of Don Carlos' 
instructions to Jacinta, The Brothers, II, 1. For the 
Bard's song before Emeria, see The Queen of Corinth, 
III, 2. The dialogue between Emeria and Conallus in 
which she tells him of her violation suggests Castiza and 
Vortiger, The Mayor of Queenborough, III, 3. There, 
however, Vortiger has been his wife's real ravisher. For 
Emeria 's revenging her dishonor upon the pretended deity, 
see under V, 1, The Duke's Mistress. The consequent ex- 
posure of Corybreus is somewhat like that of the Governor 
in The Island Princess, V, 5. For Rodamant's verses to 
the Queen (p. 415), see Chap. IV, Sect. 22. Cf. also 
Suckabus' lines to his mistress, The Seven Champions of 
Christendom, V. Milcho's attempt at immolating St. Pat- 
rick, the Queen, and the Bard, with which the scene closes, 
recalls the attempt at torturing Dorothea, The Virgin- 
Martyr, IV, 1, 2 (cf. St. Patrick, III, 1). Note also St. 
Patrick's mentioning his having walked through fire, The 
Seven Champions of Christendom, IV. Cf. Milcho's leap- 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 229 

ing into the flames with Dido, Queen of Carthage, V, 2, 
and The Brazen Age, p. 253. 6 

Sc. 2. Cf. Ferochus and Endarius as idols with the 
same in II, 2. Together with V, 1, the pranks of Roda- 
mant who has Corybreus' magic bracelet and who now 
walks invisible suggest the mockery of Harpax in the 
study of Theophilus, The Virgin-Martyr, V, 1. See The 
Witty Fair One, V, 1. Cf. also the use by Suckabus of 
the spells taught him by his father, Tarpax, in The Seven 
Champions of Christendom, III, and employed by him 
in V. Note Ariel and the three servants, The Tempest, 
III, 2. Other parallels are Doctor Faustus, III, 2, A 
Midsummer Night's Dream, III, 2, Grim, the Collier of 
Croydon, IV, 1. Cf. also The Puritan, IV, 2. Shirley's 
only "ghosts" now appear — Ferochus and Endarius, as 
their own spirits. Cf. Mrs. Arthur in How a Man May 
Choose a Good Wife from a Bad, p. 60 ff., Maria in The 
Nightwalker, III, 2, Chilax in The Mad Lover, V, 4, 
Maria in The Bashful Lover, IV, 2, Milesia in The Lost 
Lady, IV, 1, Philanthus in The Fool Would Be a Favorite, 
V. Cf. Chap. IV, Sect. 24. Note the actual ghosts of 
the Earl and Countess of Coventry (the father and mother 
of St. George) in The Seven Champions of Christendom, I. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Rodamant's entry in the forest intent 
on hanging himself because of the supposed death of the 
Queen suggests particularly Edward I, pp. 406-7. Cf. 
also Cupid and Death, pp. 351, 362, David and Bethsabe, 
p. 480, An Humorous Day's Mirth, p. 43, Caesar and Pom- 
pey, II, 1, The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington, V, 
1, All's Lost by Lust, V, 3. In The Seven Champions of 
Christendom, II, St. Anthony and St. Andrew, after being 

« These two parallels were suggested by Mr. J. Frank Dobie of 
Columbia University. 



230 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

condemned to death are permitted to choose their execu- 
tioners, a fact presenting some analogies to Rodamant's er- 
rand. Note also Depazzi's search for a death that suits him, 
The Humorous Courtier, V, 2. Rodamant's trip to the forest 
suggests Bertoldi in the later Imposture, V, 4. For his 
pranks upon the soldiers (by which he rescues Emeria), 
see under IV, 2. Here, The Tempest, III, 2, seems the 
source. For the resurrection of St. Patrick, the Queen, 
and the Bard, with those of Ferochus and Endarius in V, 
2, see Chap. IV, Sect. 29. Cf. the Bard's refusal to be- 
come a Christian with Bombo, The Royal Master, III, 3. 

Sc. 2. Gifford derives Dichu's cave from that of Bel- 
larius, Cymbeline, III, 6, IV, 2. Note also the caves in 
Locrine, IV, 4, Timon of Athens, IV, V, Cupid's Revenge, 
V, 3, The Knight of Malta, IV, 1, which might as well be 
sources. 

Sc. 3. Cf. St. Patrick's prophecy with I, 1. Cf. the 
future of Conallus, as revealed, with that of Banquo, Mac- 
beth, IV, 1. St. Patrick's vision resembles that of 
Theophilus, The Virgin-Martyr, V, 2. Note also the vi- 
sions of St. Dunstan in Grim, the Collier of Croydon, I, 1, 
V, 1, and of St. Eugenius, The Martyred Soldier, III, 2. 
Analogues are found in The Wounds of Civil War, V, 5, 
The Triumph of Death, Sc. 4, Henry VIII, IV, 2, The 
Raging Turk, V, 9, Love Crowns the End, p. 23, The 
Queen and Concubine, III, 2, Messallina, II, 1. Sophos 
in Wily Beguiled, p. 278 ff., has a dream not of a religious 
nature. The attempt of Archimagus to destroy the saint 
with aid of the reptiles seems certainly drawn from a popu- 
lar life of St. Patrick. 7 The fate of Archimagus — he sinks 
into the earth — seems to have suggested that of Phantasm, 

i The absence of poisonous reptiles in Ireland is mentioned in 
Fuimus Troes, III, 1. See Dyce's Middleton's Works, III, 177, 
note, IV, 495, note. 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 231 

Honoria and Mammon, V, 1. It parallels the disappear- 
ances of Harpax in The Virgin-Martyr, V, 1, 2, and of 
Calib in The Seven Champions of Christendom, I. Cf. 
Doctor Faustus, V, 4, Grim, the Collier of Croydon, V, 1, 
The Devil's Charter, V, 6, If This Be Not a Good Play, 
the Devil Is in It, p. 348, The Martyred Soldier, V, Mes- 
sallina, V, 1, The Virgin Widow, V, 1. Note also the sink- 
ing into the earth of Queen Eleanor, Edward I, p. 408. 
The conversion of Leogarius resembles somewhat that of 
Theophilus, The Virgin-Martyr, V, 1. Their places in 
the two plays correspond. Note that Hubert, on assum- 
ing the crown, in The Martyred Soldier, V, announces his 
conversion. 

VI. The Gentleman of Venice 

Langbaine conjectures, regarding The Gentleman of Ven- 
ice, that the intrigue between Florelli, Cornari, and Clau- 
diana was borrowed from a novel in Gayton's Festivous 
Notes to Don Quixote, Bk. IV, Chaps. 6, 7, 8 (Dramatic 
Poets, p. 479). According to Ward, however (Hist. Eng. 
Dram. Lit., Ill, 117, note), this book was not published 
until 1654, 8 so that another source must be sought. Dib- 
din asserts that the plot is from Don Quixote (History 
of the Stage, IV, 46), but, although the intrigue above 
mentioned resembles, somewhat, that of The Curious Im- 
pertinent, there seems to be no indebtedness. There is 
some suggestion of the story of the King and the Steward's 
Wife, Confessio Amantis, Bk. V, 11. 2643-2825. The part 
of The Gentleman of Venice which treats the love of 
Giovanni and Bellaura may be related to Lope de Vega's 
El Hombre por su Palabra which it seems to resemble, as 
the Spanish play is outlined in Von Wurtzbach's Lope 

s Langbaine probably confused the date of publication (1655) of 
The Gentleman of Venice with that of its presentation. 



232 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

de Vega und seine Komodien, pp. 222-23. There is also 
some likeness to A Mad Couple Well Matched, and to The 
Rebellion. 

The Gentleman of Venice may be outlined thus: 
Cornari, "a gentleman of Venice," because of the de- 
bauchery of his nephew and heir, Malipiero, resolves to 
alienate his inheritance from him at any cost. Being 
childless, Cornari conceives the fault to be his own, and 
so, finding that his wife Claudiana admires a brilliant 
Englishman, Florelli, then in Venice, he resolves that 
Florelli shall act as a sort of proxy for him. He has the 
Englishman kidnapped and brought to his house where 
he is introduced to Claudiana. Thinking the deed done, 
Cornari resolves to kill Florelli so as effectually to hide 
his dishonor, but finds by a ruse that the two have really 
spent their time together in prayers for him. He con- 
veys Florelli back then to the place where he was seized 
and releases him. Malipiero, who has been imprisoned 
for stealing crown- jewels and for treasonable plans, re- 
pents and is pardoned by his uncle. The other story is 
that of the love of Giovanni, a gardener, for Bellaura, the 
Duke's niece. Giovanni goes to war, wins glory, and is 
ennobled by the Duke. He asks the hand of Bellaura as 
a reward for his services. It is refused because of his 
humble origin. His supposed mother, Ursula, however, to 
save the life of Thomazo, the supposed son of the Duke 
and Malipiero 's fellow-conspirator, confesses that she had 
exchanged her child for the Duke's in the cradle, and 
that Giovanni is really the Duke's son. Thus the way is 
smoothed for the marriage of Bellaura and Giovanni. 

It will be seen that at least one of the two practically 
separate plots of the play helps to place it, as Ristine says, 
in the small group of tragicomedies the subject of which 
is Italian domestic life and in which are included The City 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 233 

Nightcap, The Just Italian, and The Twins (English Tragi- 
comedy, p. 140). 

Examples of a person's rising from an early obscure 
position to eminence, either through his own achievements, 
or through the discovery of his true identity, or both, as 
Giovanni does, are not uncommon in Elizabethan drama. 
Characters whose fortunes parallel those of Giovanni are 
Careno in The Supposes, the sons of the Earl of Boloign 
in The Four Prentices of London, Simon Eyre in The 
Shoemaker's Holiday, Ferdinando in The "Weakest Goeth 
to the Wall, Thornton in The Lovesick King, Helena in 
All's Well that Ends Well, Marina in Pericles, Perdita 
in The Winter's Tale, Golding in Eastward Ho, Antonio 
in A Very Woman, Marullo in The Bondman, Cicely in 
Tottenham Court, Archigenes in The Shepherds' Holiday. 
Note also Mucedorus in The Arcadia, Mucedorus in Muce- 
dorus, Offa and his brother in A Shoemaker a Gentleman, 
Honorio in The Noble Stranger, and especially Sebastiano 
as Giovanno, a tailor, in The Rebellion. For analogues 
to Malipiero, the dissipated gentleman, Thomazo, the 
clownish poltroon, and Georgio, who is close to the comic 
servant type of clown, see Chap. IV, Sects. 38, 47, and 46. 
Cf. Thomazo especially with Cloten in Cymbeline. 

As in The Politician, and the analogues there cited, 
brief characters are affixed to the dramatis persona?.. The 
title of the play is attached to Cornari's name, as it is 
to that of Gothams in The Politician. For this and the 
occurrences of the title in I, 1, and IV, 2, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 31. 

Act I, Sc. 1. Cf. the quarrel of Cornari and Malipiero 
over the latter 's demands for money with Flowerdale and 
his Uncle, The London Prodigal, I, 1, John Graham and 
his Uncle, If You Know Not Me, You Know Nobody, Part 
II, p. 254, Jamie and Henrique, The Spanish Curate, I, 



234 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

1, Philargus and Parthenius, The Koman Actor, II, 1, 
Careless and Dotario, A Fine Companion, I, 7, Sir Geoffrey 
and Crackby, The Lady Mother, I, 2. Malipiero's invi- 
tation to Cornari to a debauch is based on a speech of 
Luys to his father, The Brothers, V, 3. Cf. Lodwick and 
the Duke, The Grateful Servant, I, 1. Claudiana's child- 
lessness suggests that of Labervele's Countess, An Humor- 
ous Day's Mirth (p. 25), of Violante, The Spanish Curate 
(I, 1), and of Lady Thrivewell, A Mad Couple Well 
Matched (II, 1). 

Cornari 's getting a son by proxy may come from Care- 
less' courtship of Lady Thrivewell, A Mad Couple Well 
Matched, III, 1. Cf. The Spanish Curate, I, 3, Henrique 
and Violante seeking how to deprive Jamie of his inherit- 
ance, and cf. Jamie's claims of Ascanio's suppositiousness, 
ibid., Ill, 3. Note that in A Fine Companion, I, 7, 
Dotario announces that he will not make Aurelio, brother 
to the prodigal Careless, his heir, but will get a son. Note 
Morose 's deciding on marriage in order to cut Dauphine 
out of his estate, Epiccene, I, 1. Cf. Cornari 's wishing 
Claudiana to go abroad more with Lavervele and his Coun- 
tess, An Humorous Day's Mirth, p. 25. The tone of their 
conversation suggests Bartolo and Amaranta, The Spanish 
Curate, II, 2, and Corvino and Celia in Volpone, II, 3. 

Sc. 2. For Roberto on Ursula's reception of Giovanni's 
reading the story of Xantippe, cf. The Wife of Bath's 
Prologue, 1. 711 ff. (particularly 11. 727-32). Note the 
references (p. 13) to Amadis de Gaul, Don Quixote, and 
Guzman de Alfarache. See for allusions to the first, Koep- 
pel, Reflexe der Ritter-Romane in Drama, p. 217, note, 
and for references to Don Quixote, cf. Honoria and Mam- 
mon, V, 1, and The Triumph of Peace. Cf. The Triumph 
of Peace for a use of Don Quixote. Note Florelli, as de- 
scribed, p. 13, and I, 3, as being a counterpart of the 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 235 

"Admirable Crichton." There seems to be, as Gifford 
notes, some satire on the fantastic gardening of the day 
(p. 14). Ursula's reminiscences concerning Thomazo as 
her foster-child recall the Nurse, Eomeo and Juliet, I, 3, 
and the Nurse, A Mad Couple Well Matched, II, 1. 

Sc. 3, which is expository, begins the systematic con- 
trasting of Giovanni and Thomazo which continues through 
the play. 

Act II, Sc. 1. For Cornari and Claudiana, cf. Volpone, 
II, 3. Georgio's finding meanings in the flowers is paral- 
leled in Richard II, III, 4, Hamlet, IV, 5, The Winter's 
Tale, IV, 4, All Fools, II, 1, Law Tricks, III, 2, Philaster, 
I, 2 (reported), The Two Noble Kinsmen, II, 1, A New 
Wonder: A Woman Never Vexed, III, 1. See also A 
Handful of Pleasant Delights, p. 3. For Giovanni on 
courts, cf. Octavio, The Royal Master, I, 2. Bellaura's re- 
plies suggest the advice of Foscari, The Grateful Servant, 
I, 2 (see also under Love's Cruelty, I, 2). For Cornari 's 
Bravos here and in IV, 3, V, 2, 3, see The Antiquary, III, 1, 
and note Verdugo in Imperiale. Cf. the kidnapping of 
Florelli with The Picture, III, 3. The secrecy with which 
Florelli is brought to Cornari 's house is related to the 
stipulations of Amidea as reported, The Traitor, V, 2 (see 
the analogues to that scene). 

Act III, Sc. 1. For the day-dreams of Thomazo and his 
companions, cf. The Arcadia, III, 1. The original source is 
Henry VI, Part II, IV, 2, 6, 7. In connection with the ref- 
erence to "Scanderbeg" (p. 33), note "Squanderbag" as a 
military figure in Honoria and Mammon, IV, 1, etc. For 
similar allusions see The Shoemakers' Holiday, III, 1, 
Satiromastix, p. 233, Every Man in his Humor, I, 2, The 
Dumb Knight, I, 1. A play, The True History of George 
Scanderbeg, was entered in the Stationers' Register in 
1601, as by Marlowe. For the references to the Amster- 



236 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

dam sectaries (p. 37), note The Family of Love and The 
Alchemist, and cf. Every Woman in her Humor, I, 1, Sir 
Giles Goosecap, II, 1, Wit in a Constable, II, 1. 

Sc. 2. Note the contrast between Thomazo in the pre- 
ceding scene and Giovanni in this. Giovanni's prepara- 
tions to leave for the seat of war may have been suggested 
by Sebastiano and his fellow tailors in The Rebellion, I, 1. 
Cf. also Offa in A Shoemaker a Gentleman, III, 2, and 
Silvio in Women Pleased, IV, 1, 2, 4. 

Sc. 3. Cf. Florelli's being brought in blindfolded with 
The Lady of Pleasure, IV, 1, and The Picture, III, 5. Cf. 
also The Witch, III, 1, The Bloody Banquet, III, 3, IV, 3, 
The Fool Would Be a Favorite, III. In the last play cited, 
Philanthus who is blindfolded and led to Lucina's house 
suspects enchantment, as Florelli thinks himself dreaming 
(cf. The Constant Maid, IV, 3). An apparent inconsist- 
ency in Shirley's scene occurs in Florelli's telling Cornari 
who seems still to be masked that he has a good face (p. 45) . 

Sc. 4. For analogous drinking scenes, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 26. Similar scenes in the apartments of prostitutes 
are found in The Jew of Malta, IV, 4, 5, Henry IV, Part II, 
4 (Doll is a guest at the tavern), Blurt, Master-Constable, 

II, 2, III, 3, etc., Your Five Gallants, II, 1, Westward Ho, 
IV, 1, The Honest Whore, Part I, II, 1, Northward Ho, 

III, 1, If You Know Not Me, You Know Nobody, Part II, 
p. 307 ff., The Royal King and Loyal Subject, III, 1, The 
Dutch Courtesan, II, 1, The Fair Maid of Bristow, I, 3 
(perhaps not indoors), Greene's Tu Quoque, p. 544 ff. (at 
a tavern), The City Madam, III, 1, IV, 2, Holland's 
Leaguer, IV, 2, The Weeding of the Covent Garden, I, 1, 

IV, 1, The Jealous Lovers, III, 5, Messallina, I, 1. The 
Novella, V, 1, is laid in the apartment of a pretended 
courtesan. Malipiero's calling Rosabella "Lady Gui- 
nevere" (a nickname for women of doubtful character) is 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 237 

paralleled in The Sisters, IV, I, and The Gamester, Y, 1 
(cf. Koeppel, Reflexe der Ritter-Romane im Drama, p. 197, 
note). 

Marino's part in the scene recalls Bellamont and Doll, 
Northward Ho, III, 1. Note Thomazo's references to the 
"Queen of Carthage" and to "Cleopatra" (p. 49). The 
attempt to sell the stolen crown jewels recalls Ithamore's 
blackmailing Barabas, The Jew of Malta, IV, 4, 5. Mali- 
piero's nautical figures are strongly suggestive of Young 
Geraldine's account of Young Lionel's debauch, The Eng- 
lish Traveller, II, 1. See also The Anatomy of Melancholy, 
Part I, Sec. 2, Mem. 4, Subsec. 7, and Howell's Familiar 
Letters, II, 459. Thomazo's remarks on the instability of 
his brains (p. 53) are later paralleled by Haraldus, The 
Politician, III, 3. The entrance of the officers summoned 
by Marino recalls The City Madam, IV, 2. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. Cf. the conversation of Cornari and 
Claudiana with Volpone, III, 6, Anything for a Quiet Life, 
II, 1, The Custom of the Country, I, 1 (a test). Note also 
an experience of Jonson's, Conversations with Drummond, 
Sect. XIII, and see A New Way to Pay Old Debts, III, 2. 
There seems to be a reference to The Just Italian, p. 57. 

Sc. 2. Cf. the news of Giovanni's gallantry with that of 
Silvio's conduct, Women Pleased, V, 1. Giovanni's re- 
questing Bellaura's hand as a reward for his deeds may be 
drawn from "Giovanno's" asking Antonio for Evadne, 
his sister, in return for having saved his life, The Rebellion, 
II, 1. Note also Helena, All's Well that Ends Well, II, 
1, 2. This incident is utilized in The Imposture, I, 1, in 
regard to Leonato's reward for his services. For love be- 
tween a man and a woman really or apparently much his 
superior in rank, cf. Mucedorus and Pamela, The Arcadia, 
Philenzo (Rolliardo) and Eugenia, The Bird in a Cage, 
Mucedorus and Amadine, Mucedorus, Offa and Leodice, A 



238 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Shoemaker a Gentleman, Ferdinando and Odillia in The 
Weakest Goeth to the Wall, Silvio and Belvidere in Women 
Pleased. 

Cf. Georgio's comments on Giovanni's reward and his 
disgust at his master's simplicity with the remarks of 
Sapritius, The Virgin-Martyr, I, 1. Cf., also, Comachio 
in The Humorous Courtier, IV, 1. 

Sc. 3. Cf. Cornari's informing Florelli of the part he is 
expected to perform with Lodwick and Piero, The Grateful 
Servant, IV, 1, Contarini and Giotto, The Humorous 
Courtier, III, 1. Note also Ferdinand and "Tiberio," The 
Doubtful Heir, IV, 1. See The Merry Wives of Windsor, 
II, 2, The Triumph of Honor, Sc. 3, The Coxcomb, II, 1, 
The City Nightcap, I, 1. Observe the other dramatic ana- 
logues to the Curious Impertinent. Cf . Confident 's willing- 
ness to prostitute his wife to his patron, The Example, 
IV, 1. Cf. the introduction of Claudiana with that of 
Carintha and Giotto, The Humorous Courtier, IV, 3. Note 
also Volpone, III, 6, Anything for a Quiet Life, II, 1, III, 1. 
Florelli 's attitude towards Claudiana suggests Wittipol and 
Mrs. Fitzdottrel, The Devil is an Ass, IV, 3 (opening of 
the scene). 

Act V, Sc. 1. Cf. Ursula's hint as to a mystery con- 
cerning Giovanni with Lady Goldenfleece's hints, No Wit, 
No Help Like a Woman's, I, 1, and those of Garrula, The 
Lovesick Court, I, 2, etc. Cf. her hearing of the con- 
demnation of Thomazo with The Shepherds' Holiday, IV, 2. 

Sc. 2. For the imaginary cuckoldom of Cornari, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 25. His use of a friar's garb and the rite 
of confession as a means of arriving at the true state of 
affairs has the following analogues: Edward I, p. 412, If 
This Be Not a Good Play, the Devil Is in It, p. 339 ff., The 
City Nightcap, III, 1, The Emperor of the East, V, 3, The 
Bashful Lover, IV, 2. Note also Queen Eleanor's Confes- 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 239 

sion, Kittredge and Child's Ballads, No. 156, Du Chevalier 
qui fist sa femme confist, Montaiglon, No. 16, Les Cent 
Nouvelles Nouvelles, No. 78, Decameron, Day VII, Novel 5. 
The device is referred to in Anything for a Quiet Life, II, 1. 
An overheard confession is employed in The Mayor of 
Queenborough, III, 3, and is contemplated in The Sad 
One, IV, 3. A mock confession is planned in The Ordinary, 
V, 3. Friar's habits are used as disguises in The Fair 
Maid of Bristow, V, 2, The White Devil, V, 3, The Island 
Princess, IV, 1, etc. (a Moorish priest), The Wonder of a 
Kingdom, V, 1, A Very Woman, IV, 2, The Bashful Lover, 

IV, 2. The fact that Florelli, apparently a seventeenth 
century Englishman, asks for a confessor is worth noting. 
Contrast Dick of Devonshire, IV, 2. Florelli 's account of 
how he and Claudiana had spent their time together recalls 
Hazard's account of his reception by Mrs. Wilding, The 
Gamester, V, 2. 

For Florelli 's affirmation to Cornari of his wife's chas- 
tity, cf. The Grateful Servant, V, 1, The Humorous Court- 
ier, V, 3, The Wedding, IV, 4 (a variation), The Gamester, 

V, 2. Other parallels are met with in The Fawn, IV, The 
Insatiate Countess, V, The Woman's Prize, IV, 5, The 
Spanish Curate, V, 2, The Dumb Knight, V, 1, The Roaring 
Girl, IV, 2, The Hector of Germany, V, 5, The City Night- 
cap, III, 1, Albovine, V, 1, The Cruel Brother, V, 1, The 
Queen, V, The Antipodes, V, 5. 

For the conversion of Malipiero expressed by letter, p. 79, 
and in person, Sc. 4, see Chap. IV, Sect. 10. Especially 
close parallels are the reformations of Quicksilver, East- 
ward Ho, V, 1, Young Flowerdale, The London Prodigal, 
V, 1, Nick, The Weeding of the Covent Garden, V, 3, Wat, 
The Damoiselle, V, 1, Young Lionel, The English Traveller, 
IV, 6. 

Sc. 3. Note Florelli 's reference to Endymion, and to 



240 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

the fairies. The former is mentioned in The Example, 
I, 1. Cf. The Variety, V, 1, and The Downfall of Robert, 
Earl of Huntington, III, 1. 

Sc. 4. Roberto's references to a pear-tree in connection 
with the froward Ursula recall similar allusions in The 
Gamester, V, 1, and in Timon of Athens, V, 1. Ursula's 
confession of her substitution of her child for the Duke's 
recalls Vicina's similar statement, Mother Bombie, V, 3. 
Cf. also No Wit, No Help like a Woman's, V, 1, A King and 
No King, V, 4, Thierry and Theodoret, III, 1 (Brunhalt's 
story), The Pair Maid of the Inn, III, 2, The Queen's Ex- 
change, IV, 1 (Edith's story), The Magnetic Lady, IV, 1, 
V, 6, The Virgin Widow, V, 1. Morulla's confession, The 
Sisters, V, 2 (reported) is based on Ursula's. Cf. also The 
Court Secret, IV, 3, V, 3. 

For the clearing up of Giovanni's parentage, cf. Phillis 
of Scyros, V, 9, The Supposes, V, 5, The Comedy of Errors, 
V, 1, Cymbeline, V, 5, Pericles, V, 1, The Winter's Tale, 
V, 2 (reported), The Case is Altered, V, 4, The New Inn, 
V, 1, The Weakest Goeth to the Wall, V, 3, The Maid's 
Metamorphosis, V, Monsieur Thomas, V, 10, The Triumph 
of Love, Sc. 8, The Beggar's Bush, V, 2, The Humorous 
Lieutenant, V, 5, The Maid in the Mill, V, 2, The Fair Maid 
of the Inn, V, 3, The Heir, IV, V, The Captives, IV, 1, The 
Lovesick Court, V, 3, The Antipodes, V, 6, The Jovial Crew, 
V (1641), The Deserving Favorite, V, 1, Tottenham Court, 
V, 7, The Jealous Lovers, IV, 9, V, 7, Perkin Warbeck, II, 1 
(doubtful), The Shepherds' Holiday, V, 4, Love's Riddle, 
V, 1, The Princess, V, 8, The Prisoners, V, 3, The Goblins, 
V, 5, The Obstinate Lady, V, 6, The Rebellion, V (1641) 
(Sebastiano reveals himself). 

VII. The Imposture 
The Imposture seems to be a reworking of parts of earlier 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 241 

plays of Shirley, interspersed with hints from the works 
of other dramatists. 

The plot of the play follows : 

The Imposture opens with Mantua in a state of siege. 
Leonato, Prince of Ferrara, raises the siege. For his aid 
he is promised the hand of Fioretta, Princess of Mantua, 
who, by the advice of Flaviano, the Duke's favorite, him- 
self in love with her, has been sent, ostensibly to a nunnery, 
but, in fact, to the house of Flaviano 's mother. When 
Leonato demands his bride, he is told that she is vowed to 
spend a year in the convent. He insists on seeing her. 
Juliana, a novice who had been seduced by Flaviano, is 
engaged to act as a substitute for the Princess. She pre- 
tends to refuse the request of Leonato that she leave the 
convent, but in reality advises him to abduct her. This he 
does. Just before his arrival at Ferrara, Fioretta who has 
left her retreat arrives there incognita. Honorio, her 
brother, who is ignorant of the imposture, appears in 
search of his sister, and, meeting Leonato, fights with him. 
Flaviano and Claudio, who now arrive at Ferrara, seek to 
assassinate Honorio. Claudio betrays Flaviano, and frus- 
trates his plot. Having compunctions of conscience, Juli- 
ana confesses her identity to Leonato, but not her relations 
with Flaviano. To spite the Mantuans, Leonato announces 
that he will marry Juliana. Claudio, however, unfolds the 
plots of Flaviano to Leonato and tells of Juliana's past. 
Flaviano attempts to flee, but is taken, banished, and his 
estate confiscated for the use of the convent into which 
Juliana must retire. Leonato marries Fioretta; Honorio 
marries Donabella, sister to Leonato. The comic element 
is furnished by the pursuit of Florelia, a wealthy widow, 
by two soldiers, Volterino and Hortensio. She offers her 
hand to him who will make her cowardly son, Bertoldi, 
brave. The soldiers attempt to make Bertoldi at least ap- 



242 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

pear courageous, but are unsuccessful. Finally, neverthe- 
less, Florelia gives her hand to Hortensio. 

From the preceding summary it will be seen that The 
Imposture embodies elements of The Royal Master and 
The Maid's Revenge. From The Royal Master comes the 
love of Flaviano for Fioretta and his attempt to break off 
her match with Leonato (cf. Schipper, James Shirley, p. 
270). From The Maid's Revenge comes the visit of Hon- 
orio to Ferrara to avenge the false Fioretta 's abduction, 
and to take her back to Mantua. Certain other elements 
from the earlier plays not shown in the summary will be 
taken up later. 

For the Machiavellian Flaviano, see Chap. IV, Sect. 33. 
Cf. Montalto in The Royal Master. Donabella and Fio- 
retta suggest Theodosia and Domitilla in The Royal Mas- 
ter with certain of their characteristics and relations inter- 
changed. Juliana suggests her namesake in Measure for 
Measure, as well as Mariana in the same play. Note, in 
regard to her relations with Flaviano, that Romelio admits 
in The Devil's Law-case, III, 3, having got a nun with 
child. For Bertoldi, see Chap. IV, Sect. 47. Cf. his pas- 
sion for Fioretta with Rodamant and the Queen, St. Pat- 
rick for Ireland, and Labervele and Martia, An Humorous 
Day's Mirth. Cf. Florelia and her suitors with Lady 
Goldenfleece and hers in No Wit, No Help Like a Woman 's, 
and with the Widow and her followers in The Widow. 

Act I, Sc. 1. The pretense of sending Fioretta to a con- 
vent, but in reality sending her away so as to escape the 
match with Leonato recalls The Merry Devil of Edmonton, 
I, 1. Milliscent in The Merry Devil, however, is really 
placed in a convent. Note that the terms for which they 
are immured, or are supposed to be, are the same (see 
Sc. 2). In The Turk, I, 1, Borgias pretends to the Dukes 
of Florence and of Venice that Julia has died; his design 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 243 

is to prevent the marriage of either with her. Cf. Flavi- 
ano's feelings toward Fioretta as shown in this scene with 
those of Montalto toward Theodosia, The Eoyal Master, 

I, 1. For his desire to remove Honor io from his path 
(p. 188) see under The Politician, I, 1. 

Sc. 2. For the return of a victorious army from battle, 
cf. The Politician, III, 4, The Young Admiral, I, 2. Note 
also Titus Andronicus, I, 1, Coriolanus, II, 1, Edward I, 
p. 377, and More Dissemblers besides Women, I, 3, The 
Roman Actor, I, 4. Many early plays, such as the two 
parts of Tamburlaine, contain similar spectacles. Flavi- 
ano's ornate speech to the conquering Leonato, as Gifford 
notes, is obviously studiously insincere. In this respect, 
it resembles D'Amville's lamentation, The Atheist's Trag- 
edy, II, 4, Macbeth, Macbeth, II, 3, Frank to Susan, The 
Witch of Edmonton, II, 2, and the Governor of Verona 
to Albovine, Albovine, I, 1. Note also Contarini to Paulina 
in Shirley's later Sisters, II, 2. 

Cf. the account of Bertoldi's conduct in battle (p. 192) 
with the pages concerning Balurdo, Antonio and Mellida, 

II, Note Ariotto and Lizaro in Davenant's Siege, II, 1. 
Bertoldi's entrance laden with arms is drawn probably 
from Sir Pergamus and his trophies, The Faithful Friends, 

III, 2. Cf. also Falstaff with Hotspur's body, Henry IV, 
Part I, V, 4, Bessus in A King and No King, II, 1, and A 
Fine Companion, IV, 4. This incident is related to Device 's 
presenting to the Sister Courtwell's sword which he has 
stolen, Captain Underwit, V, 1. Note that Bertoldi does 
not expatiate on his feats of arms. Fioretta 's "vow" to 
remain a year in the convent suggests Thaisa's vow to re- 
main a year unmarried, Pericles, II, 5 (cf. The Merry Devil 
of Edmonton, I, 1). The fact that the Duke attempts to 
prevent the unsatisfactory marriage of his daughter sug- 
gests The Bird in a Cage, I, 1, and Women Pleased, I, 1. 



244 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

For the rage of Leonato at the slight put upon him, cf. 
Don Pedro in The Brothers, V, 3, and the Duke of Siena, 
Women Pleased, III, 3. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Cf. the convent setting with The Merry 
Devil of Edmonton, III, 1, Measure for Measure, I, 4, The 
White Devil, IV, 1. Note The Grateful Servant, V, 2. 
Flaviano's pretense that the Prince does not love Fioretta 
(p. 200) is related to The Royal Master, II, 2, 3 (Montalto's 
assurances that Theodosia does not love the Duke). The 
contriving to pass off Juliana as Fioretta may be derived 
from A Maidenhead Well Lost, IV, in which the Duke of 
Milan plots with Stroza to substitute Lauretta for Julia in 
the nuptial bed of the Prince of Florence. Flaviano's ar- 
ranging the substitution with Juliana recalls Hey wood's 
play as cited above, p. 149 ff. (Stroza and Lauretta). For 
mock conversions such as Flaviano's, see under Chap. IV, 
Sect. 10. 

Sc. 2. For the plot to make Bertoldi brave, see under 
The Young Admiral, III, 1, IV, 1. Cf. his frequent and 
promiscuous offers of his mother's hand here and through- 
out the play (as in IV, 2), with Simpleton's similar offers, 
The Variety, V, 1, and with Mrs. Tongueall's allusions to 
her daughter Jenny, in Covent Garden. 

Sc. 3. Cf. Juliana as a Princess (Fioretta) with 
Seleucus (who is really a King), The Coronation, IV, 1, 
Pimponio in The Opportunity, II, 1, Frapolo in The Sis- 
ters, IV, 4, the Cousin in The Constant Maid, III, 2, Hoff- 
man in Hoffman, II, the Courtesan in The Mad Lover, V, 4. 
For Juliana's hints to Leonato, see Chap. IV, Sect. 28. 
The source here is probably The Witty Fair One, I, 3. Cf. 
May-Day, II, 1, The Fawn, III, IV, The Family of Love, 
I, 2, Wit Without Money, V, 3. For the abduction of 
Juliana, cf. The Maid's Revenge, III, 4, 5, 6, The Merchant 
of Venice, II, 6, Othello, I, 1, The Merry Devil of Edmon- 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 245 

ton, III, 2, IV, 1. Honorio's situation (p. 210) is based 
on that of Sebastiano, The Maid's Revenge, IV, 1 (a strug- 
gle between the desire to avenge the kidnapping of his 
sister and his sense of the relationship in which he stands 
to the kidnapper). Honorio, however, does not hesitate 
as long as does Sebastiano. 

Act III, Sc. 1. Fioretta's learning of the arrival of the 
false Fioretta at Ferrara together with Honorio's meeting 
the latter in Sc. 3 following is a variation on the actual 
meeting of a character with an impostor who is impersonat- 
ing him. Cf. Love Tricks, V, 1, 3, The Opportunity, IV, 1, 
and the later Sisters, IV, 5, V, 2. Parallels occur in The 
Supposes, IV, 5, Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes, p. 531, 
The Comedy of Errors, III, 1, V, 1, The Taming of the 
Shrew, V, 1, Look about You (very frequently), What You 
Will, IV, 1, The Fair Maid of the Exchange, p. 84, Al- 
bumazar, IV, 7, 8, The Maid in the Mill, III, 2, The Just 
Italian, III, 1, Love and Honor, IV, 1, The Novella, V, 1, 
The Queen's Exchange, III, V, 1, Trapolin Supposed a 
Prince, V, 4. See under Love Tricks, V, 3, for other ana- 
logues. 

Sc. 2. For Volterino's account of Bertoldi's "courage" 
in battle, see under Love Tricks, IV, 6. Cf. especially Sir 
Pergamus, The Faithful Friends, III, 2, and Bessus, A 
King and No King, II, 1. Bertoldi's cowardice after Hor- 
tensio's entrance recalls the fright of Bubulcus at the end 
of Love Tricks, IV, 6. Cf. also The Gamester, II, 2, V, 1, 
Every Man in his Humor, IV, 5, Every Man out of his 
Humor, V, 3, 4, A King and No King, III, 2, The Court 
Beggar, III, 1. See under I, 2. Florelia's offering her 
hand to the suitor who will fulfill her conditions recalls 
Jacinta in The Example, IV, 2, Lucina in The Ball, III, 1, 
Quisara in The Island Princess, I, 3. 

Sc. 3. Cf. the duel between Honorio and Leonato with 



that in The Maid's Revenge, IV, 3. Note that the situation 
here is that of a brother fighting the abductor of his sister 
(pretended), and that the first later falls in love with the 
sister of his opponent. The duel is halted by the entrance 
of the sisters (real and pretended) of the combatants. 
For Honorio 's surprise at Juliana's appearance as Fioretta, 
see under Sc. 1 of this act. See Chap. IV, Sect. 31, for the 
occurrence of the title of the play in the text (p. 226). 

Act IV, Sc. 1, contains an interchange of half -confidences 
between Fioretta and Donabella. 

Sc. 2. Cf. Bertoldi's willingness to assist Flaviano and 
Claudio in the murder of Honorio with Piperollo's eager- 
ness to help in the robbery of his parents, The Sisters, I, 1. 
His promiscuous offers of Florelia's hand have already 
been noted under II, 2. 

Sc. 3. For Florelia's pretense of eavesdropping, cf. 
V, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. Her making game of 
Volterino and Hortensio recalls Hyde Park, I, 1, and The 
Ball, II, 3, etc. The proposal of Hortensio to make Bertoldi 
brave on wine is paralleled later in The Politician, II, 1. 

Sc. 4. Claudio 's sudden change of heart, and refusal to 
kill the Prince is drawn from The Duke's Mistress, V, in 
which Pallante who has been entrusted with the assassina- 
tion of the Duke proves not to have done it (see under 
The Politician, IV, 2, 5). 

Sc. 5 is concerned with Juliana's sudden contrition, her 
half-confession to Leonato, and his defiance of Honorio. 

Act V, Sc. 1. For drinking scenes, see Chap. IV, Sect. 
26. For an analogue to Hortensio 's description of the 
legend of Arion and his dolphin (p. 248), see the Clown on 
the legend of Troy, Love's Mistress, II, 1. Cf. Pandolfo 
as a soldier with Gorgon in Love Tricks, IV, 5. The quar- 
rel of Bertoldi and Pandolfo is based on those of Young 
Barnacle, The Gamester, II, 2, IV, 1, V, 1. The language 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 247 

of Pandolfo suggests an indebtedness to Pistol in Henry IV, 
Parts I, and II, Henry V, and The Merry "Wives of Wind- 
sor, and to Bobadill in Every Man in his Humor. For 
the throwing of wine in the faces of Bertoldi and Florelia 
in disguise, see under The Politician, III, 3. For Florelia 's 
male garb, see Chap. IV, Sect. 32. For the use of "sandi- 
ack" (p. 250), cf. ' ' sanzacke, ' ' The Renegado, III, 4. 

Sc. 2. Donabella's overhearing Honorio and Fioretta 
suggests The Maid's Revenge, II, 2, in its effect upon her. 
For the eavesdropping, cf. IV, 3, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. 
The jealousy of Donabella suggests strongly that of Theo- 
dosia, The Royal Master, IV, 1 (cf. Sc. 5), when she falsely 
thinks Domitilla her rival. 

Sc. 3. For Flaviano's villain's soliloquy (p. 255) see 
under The Traitor, IV, 1. For his comparison of Claudio 
to a comet, see under The Royal Master, III, 1. Koeppel 
derives his "If I but meet him handsomely, 111 make him 
fix'd as the north star" from Caesar's "I am as constant as 
the northern star" (Julius Caesar, III, 1) (Shakespeare's 
Wirkung, p. 62). 

A reference seemingly to The White Devil occurs, p. 256. 
The conversation between Fioretta and Juliana is modeled 
seemingly on that between Theodosia and Domitilla, The 
Royal Master, IV, 1 (see also Sc. 2 of this act). In both 
the Princess attacks the woman of lower rank whom she 
thinks her rival. Note another use of this incident in The 
Court Secret, II, 2. 

Sc. 4. Flaviano's predicament (bound to a tree by Hor- 
tensio and the Friar) suggests Protaldye, Thierry and 
Theodoret, V, 1. For Bertoldi in the forest and his fears, 
see St. Patrick for Ireland, V, 1. The description of Vol- 
terino's mother (Pandolfo in disguise) is based on The 
Duke's Mistress, II, 1, III, 2, IV, 1, with a touch perhaps 
from Flavia's disguise, The Young Admiral, IV, 1. See 



248 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

also Chap. IV, Sects. 20 and 21. Koeppel parallels Vol- 
terino's "I left her in a sieve was bound for Scotland" 
(p. 264) with the First Witch's "In a sieve, I'll thither 
sail," Macbeth, I, 3 (Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 62). For 
Pandolfo's disguise as an old woman, see Chap. IV, Sect. 
41. Cf. Bertoldi's readiness to marry the supposed woman 
with Rufaldo's predicament, Love Tricks, IV, 1. 

Sc. 5. All the characters gather. Note the clamoring 
of the three women for justice (p. 266), and cf. The Laws 
of Candy, V, 1. Flaviano's disgrace is based upon that of 
Montalto, The Royal Master, V, 2. Cf. also The Gentle- 
man Usher, V, 1. Bertoldi's crying out for justice since 
Leonato is about to marry his "mistress," Fioretta, is 
based, perhaps, on Pazzorello's injudicious claims for 
Cagsario's ransom, The Young Admiral, IV, 5. For comic 
epilogues, see under Love Tricks, and The Cardinal. 

VIII. The Court Secret 

The Court Secret, which was apparently not finished 
until after the closing of the theatres in 1642 (see the 
titlepage of the old edition), was therefore first presented 
after the Restoration when Pepys saw it as a new play 
August 18, 1664 (Diary, IV, 206 ; cf. also Langbaine, Dra- 
matic Poets, p. 475). 

The intricate plot of The Court Secret may thus be 
summarized : 

Carlo, supposed Prince of Spain, who is betrothed to 
Isabella, Princess of Portugal, falls in love with Clara, 
daughter to Duke Mendoza. His rival (whom Clara loves) 
is Manuel, supposed son to Piracquo, a noble, who had 
been banished many years earlier, and who had turned 
pirate, but who has now been pardoned. Maria, the 
Infanta of Spain, loves Manuel, but is contracted to An- 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 249 

tonio, Prince of Portugal and brother to Isabella. Manuel 
and Carlo quarrel. The former is imprisoned, but is re- 
leased by Carlo's efforts. Carlo, finding Manuel to be his 
rival, resolves to fight him. The Prince reveals his passion 
for Clara to her father, but is discouraged. Clara, Manuel, 
and Carlo meet. Manuel offers to renounce Clara to Carlo, 
but she refuses to allow the renunciation. Carlo challenges 
Manuel, and in the resulting duel the former is danger- 
ously wounded, but is generally thought to have been slain. 
Manuel, who gives himself up, is imprisoned. Mendoza 
now confesses that Carlo is really his own son, Julio, who 
had been passed off as the Prince, when the last had been 
stolen in childhood from his Governess, Mendoza 's Duchess. 
Clara now is in the predicament of loving the man who had 
supposedly killed her brother. Manuel and Clara bewail 
their lot in the presence of Maria, who finally renounces 
Manuel. Next, Carlo, or Julio, is discovered to be alive. 
Piracquo confesses now to have stolen the infant Prince 
from Mendoza 's house, and reveals Manuel to be the kid- 
napped child. Thus all ends happily ; the various plots of 
Koderigo, the King 's brother, which have no very important 
part in the play, are frustrated ; and the various pairs of 
lovers, Manuel (or Carlo) and Clara, Antonio and Maria, 
Carlo (or Julio) and Isabella are united. 

The Court Secret in its extraordinary complexity of plot 
and in its various surprises goes beyond even Love in a 
Maze. The several pairs of lovers, their misfit affections 
and the final adjustment of relationships suggest the 
typical pastoral plot. Hints from The Maid's Revenge 
and The Young Admiral seem evident here and there. As 
in The Coronation, A King and No King, and The Love- 
sick Court, diverted incest plays a part in the action (see 
under I, 1). The relations of the Spanish and Portuguese 
recall The Spanish Tragedy. There is no main source for 



250 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

the plot. Schipper surmises that it is founded on a foreign 
novel or play (James Shirley, p. 289). 

For Roderigo, whose intrigues are indeed not very promi- 
nent, see Chap. IV, Sect. 33. Piracquo's name may be de- 
rived from The Changeling. Other pirates occur in Eliza- 
bethan plays, as Purser and Clinton in Fortune by Land 
and Sea, the Pirates in Pericles, Menecrates and Menas in 
Antony and Cleopatra, Ward, Danziker, etc., in A Chris- 
tian Turned Turk, the Duke of Sesse in The Double Mar- 
riage, Albert in The Sea Voyage, Grimaldi in The Rene- 
gado, the Pirates in A Very Woman, Manlius and Tullius 
in Claricilla, Gillippus in The Prisoners, and Bragadine in 
The Princess. Maria suggests Theodosia in The Royal 
Master, but Clara is more angelic than Domitilla in the 
same play — somewhat like Rosania in The Doubtful Heir. 
The most interesting characters are the timid Mendoza with 
his " court secret," and the mischievous Pedro who plays 
on his fears. Mendoza 's continual apprehensions recall 
Sir Solitary Plot in The Example. His harping on his 
secret suggests Garrula in The Lovesick Court. 

Act I, Sc. 1. Maria's dropping her jewel and refusing 
to take it from Manuel who picks it up is allied to the hint, 
as found in The Imposture, II, 3. The immediate source 
is probably Calantha's similar business with a ring, The 
Broken Heart, IV, 1. Cf. also The Opportunity, IV, 1, 
The Spanish Tragedy, I, 3, Twelfth Night, II, 2, The 
Fawn, III, The Fair Maid of the West, Part II, IV, 1, 
The Scornful Lady, III, 1, Wit Without Money, IV, 4, The 
Spanish Curate, II, 4. For Mendoza 's eavesdropping, cf. 
II, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. For the "fig" he men- 
tions (p. 437), see under The Maid's Revenge, III, 2. See 
Chap. IV, Sect. 15, for Roderigo 's pretended test of Pirac- 
quo (cf. Ill, 3, following). Cf. The Royal Master, III, 1, 
for Roderigo 's comparison of Piracquo to a comet (p. 438). 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 251 

As analogues to the brothers and sisters who are in love, 
but who are ignorant of their blood-relationships (Maria 
with Manuel, Carlo with Clara) we may cite Sophia and 
Demetrius in The Coronation, II, 3, Celia and Thyrsis in 
Phillis of Scyros, I, 5, Silena and Accius in Mother Bombie, 
V, 3, Bella Franca, Charles and Eustace, The Four Pren- 
tices of London, p. 82, Phoenixella and Camillo, in The Case 
is Altered, III, 3, Eudina and Philocles, The Lovesick 
Court, II, 1, Faustina and Philautus, Holland's Leaguer, 
III, 4, Bellamy and Sam, Tottenham Court, III, 3, Silvia 
and Cleander in The Shepherds' Holiday, III, 2. A pos- 
sible source for the double entanglement here is the love 
of Pamphilus for his sister, Techmessa, and of Tyndarus 
for his sister, Evadne, in The Jealous Lovers. For re- 
versals of this situation — supposed brothers and sisters in 
love — see under The Opportunity, I, 2. Note that Anna- 
bella and Giovanni in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, I, 3, etc., 
are aware of their relationship, as are Juno and Jupiter, 
The Golden Age, III, 1. 

The entrance of Roderigo with Antonio and the latter 's 
jealousy on seeing Maria and Manuel recalls The Maid's 
Revenge, II, 2, and The Imposture, V, 2. Roderigo 's at- 
tempt at rousing the jealousy of Antonio suggests Catalina 
and Velasco, The Maid's Revenge, II, 3, and Montalto's 
stories, The Royal Master, II, 2, III, 2. Carlo's forsaking 
Isabella of Portugal as shown in this scene, her following 
him to Spain, III, 1, and their reconciliation, V, 3, are 
drawn from The Young Admiral, I, 1, II, 2, V, 4. Cf. The 
Sisters, V, 1. Koeppel derives Manuel's comparison of 
Clara's hand to a shrine (p. 445) from Romeo's similar 
figure, Romeo and Juliet, I, 5, and notes Montalto con- 
cerning Domitilla, The Royal Master (not The Traitor, as 
Koeppel says), I, 2 (Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 63). 

Act II, Sc. 1. For the King's wavering between Rode- 



252 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

rigo and Carlo, cf. The Young Admiral, I, 2. For the en- 
trance of Manuel and Antonio fighting, cf. Henry VI, 
Part II, III, 2. For the arrest of Piracquo on his sup- 
posed son's account, cf. The Young Admiral, I, 1. For 
the King's test of Carlo's honor, see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. 

Sc. 2. For Pedro's eavesdropping, see Chap. IV, Sect. 
30, and cf. I, 1. Mendoza's planning to rid himself of 
Pedro here and in IV, 1, is based probably on The Young 
Admiral, I, 1, etc. Cf. also The Politician, I, 1. For the 
scrap of Spanish (p. 455), see under The Humorous Court- 
ier, II, 2. 

Sc. 3. The rivalry of Maria and Clara here displayed 
may be drawn from Love in a Maze, II, 2. See under The 
Royal Master, IV, 1. 

Sc. 4. For the prison setting together with that in V, 

I, 2, see Chap. IV, Sect. 14. The scene between Manuel 
and Carlo parallels that just preceding (Sc. 3) between 
Clara and Maria. 

Act III, Sc. 1. The character of Roderigo given here 
is based on that of The Cardinal, I, 1. See under The Poli- 
tician, I, 1. Although the preparation for the banquet is 
not meant to be especially humorous, yet see under The 
Cardinal, III, 2. 

Sc. 2. For Roderigo 's villain's soliloquy, see under The 
Traitor, IV, 1. It seems derived from Lorenzo's soliloquy 
in that scene. For Mendoza's misinterpretation of Carlo, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 27. Mendoza's opposition to Carlo's 
suit to Clara recalls Themele's attempts at hindering the 
suit of Philocles to Eudina (his sister), The Lovesick Court, 

II, 1. Note the King's attempt at directing the affections 
of Maria toward Antonio, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 42. 

Sc. 3. Manuel's offer to give Clara her freedom so that 
she may accept Carlo brings to mind II, 2, The Traitor, 
since in both the lady is present at the renunciation. As 



THE TRAGICOMEDIES 253 

in The Grateful Servant, IV, 2, the rival of the self-sacri- 
ficing lover is (or seems to be) of high rank. Cf. Maria's 
renunciation of Manuel, V, 2, following. See also Chap. 
IV, Sect. 4. Cf. with Clara's refusal to allow Manuel to 
give her up, Cellide and Valentine, Monsieur Thomas, II, 5, 
and Matilda and Hortensio, The Bashful Lover, V, 2. The 
manner and circumstances of Carlo's challenge of Manuel 
are based on The Maid's Revenge, IV, 3. For the pretense 
of a test, see under I, 1, and cf. Chap. IV, Sect. 15. 

Act IV, Sc. 1, is taken up by Pedro's playing on the 
fears of Mendoza. Cf. II, 2, and note Garrula, The Love- 
sick Court, II, 1, etc. 

Sc. 2. Carlo's device for overcoming Manuel's rever- 
ence for royalty so as to insure a duel seems original with 
Shirley. Cf., however, Aspatia (in disguise) and Amintor, 
The Maid's Tragedy, V, 4. See under The Example, IV, 3, 
and The Wedding, II, 2. Moorish disguises occur in The 
Parliament of Love, The English Moor, and The Lost Lady 
(female characters). Cf. Manuel's superstitious regard 
for Carlo's rank with Amintor, The Maid's Tragedy, II, 1, 
etc. Cf., however, Chap. III. For the duel itself and the 
relationships of the combatants, The Maid 's Revenge, IV, 3, 
affords a parallel. Additional complications of relation- 
ships are introduced in The Court Secret. Note also 
Philocles and Philargus, The Lovesick Court, IV, 2, and 
Philatel, Torcular, and Samorat, The Goblins, I, 1. 

Sc. 3. For Mendoza 's confession of the substitution of 
Julio for Carlo, see under The Gentleman of Venice, V, 4. 
Cf. The Lovesick Court, V, 3, and The Shepherds' Holi- 
day, III, 2, and note V, 1, 3, of the present play. 

Act V, Sc. 1. See under II, 4, for the prison here and 
in the next scene. As an analogue to this comic passage 
in prison, Twelfth Night, IV, 2, should be compared. Note 
also the servants on their way to execution, The Bloody 



254 SHIRLEY'S PLAYS AND THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 

Brother, III, 2. Cf. Pedro's ballad with their song at the 
end of the scene cited. For the use of the title of the play 
in the text (p. 499) see Chap. IV, Sect. 31. Note Men- 
doza's repetition to Clara of the story of the substituted 
children (cf. IV, 3, V, 3, and The Gentleman of Venice, 
V, 4). The situation of Clara — in love with the supposed 
slayer of her brother — is modeled upon that of Castabella* 
The Maid's Revenge, V. Cf. Ursini and Cornelia, The 
Opportunity, I, 2, etc., and Sabrina, Samorat and Orsabrin, 
The Goblins, II, 2. Cf. Romeo and Juliet, III, 2. Note 
Maria in Sc. 2, following. 

Sc. 2. For the setting, cf. II, 4, V, 1, and see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 14. Cf. Clara's playing the role of Maria (in earnest, 
as a sister whose brother has been slain by her lover) with 
the various representations of one person by another in 
A Looking-glass for London, p. 123, Henry IV, Part I, 

II, 4, As You Like It, IV, 1, Troilus and Cressida, I, 3, 

III, 3, Cynthia's Revels, III, 3, The Poor Man's Comfort, 
III, The Mad Lover, II, 2, The Bondman, II, 3, The Ordi- 
nary, V, 3. Cf. Maria's renunciation of Manuel with III, 3, 
note The Gamester, IV, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 4. 

Sc. 3. For the resurrections of the true Julio and the 
true Carlo which have been under way during IV, 3, V, 1, 
and which are consummated in this scene, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 29. Note also, in connection with Carlo, the appear- 
ance of Torcular, who has been thought slain by his sister 's 
lover, in The Goblins, V, 5. Cf. Piracquo's confessing hav- 
ing stolen the infant Carlo with Ursula in The Gentleman 
of Venice, V, 4, and Morulla in The Sisters, V, 2. For 
analogues to the recovery of lost children, see under The 
Gentleman of Venice, V, 4. An adjustment of relation- 
ships occurs also in The Distresses, V, 1. 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 

I. The Brothers 

The Brothers, which was licensed November 4, 1626, was 
printed as the first of a volume of Six New Plays published 
in 1652, as Shirley's contribution to the King's Men at 
Blackfriars. Because Shirley's other plays up to 1631-32 
were produced at the Cockpit by the Queen's Men, Fleay 
in Anglia, VIII, 405r-6, 410-11, advanced the theory that 
The Brothers is the tragicomedy called Dick of Devon- 
shire, and that The Politic Father, a play produced in 1641 
which has been identified generally with The Politician, 
was printed as The Brothers among the Six New Plays. 
In the discussion of the identification of The Politic Fa- 
ther and The Politician (Chap. VI) it has been shown 
that a play called The Brothers was listed among the 
dramas of Shirley which were in the hands of the King's 
Men ten weeks after the licensing of The Politic Father, 
that no play called The Politician or The Brothers was 
among the plays claimed by Beeston for the Queen's Men 
in 1639, that no importance is to be attached to the fact 
that The Brothers appeared in print twenty-six years 
after its licensing, that the dedication of the printed Broth- 
ers has been misinterpreted, that the title of The Politic 
Father applies at least as well to The Politician as to The 
Brothers, and that there is no reason to believe that Shir- 
ley wrote exclusively for the Queen's Men in 1626, and 

255 



256 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

exclusively for the King's Men in 1641. Fleay's absurd 
identification of The Brothers of 1626 and Dick of Devon- 
shire is refuted in Chap. X. 

Hence, in this discussion, following Dyce and Ward, 
we shall consider The Brothers as having been first acted 
in 1626, and first printed in 1652. Indeed, it seems very 
probable that the young playwright should have sold this 
comedy to the chief company of the day, and finding that 
in the future he could "do better" with the Queen's Men, 
sold his other plays to them (excepting Love in a Maze) 
up to the production of The Doubtful Heir in 1640. Then 
it may have been that taking Massinger's place as a more 
or less regular contributor to the King's Men, he wrote 
for them until the closing of the theatres, in the meantime, 
however, selling one play — The Politic Father, or The Poli- 
tician — to the Queen's Men. 

The plot of The Brothers is as follows : 

Francisco and Fernando, younger and elder sons to Don 
Ramyres, love Jacinta and Felisarda, respectively, the 
daughter and niece of Don Carlos. Being a younger son, 
Francisco pretends to devote himself to Felisarda, the 
penniless companion of Jacinta, in order to deceive Don 
Carlos, while his brother pretends to court Jacinta. Luys, 
son to Don Carlos, returns from the university, bringing 
with him a friend, Alberto, as a candidate for his sister's 
hand. Don Carlos accepts Alberto as a suitor, but dis- 
misses him when the rich Ramyres presents Fernando as 
a rival. Fernando is then discarded for Don Pedro, a 
very wealthy nobleman. Fernando reveals his love for 
Felisarda to his father who pretends to disinherit him in 
favor of Francisco. Felisarda 's intimacy with Fernando 
being discovered, she is sent from Don Carlos' house. 
Ramyres pretends to die, cutting off Fernando with a 
meagre pension. Jacinta is to be married to Don Pedro, 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 257 

but she dresses Estefania, a lady to whom he had been 
formerly contracted, in clothing like her own ; and sending 
her counterfeit to the church in her stead, she elopes with 
Francisco. At the instigation of Luys, Alberto waylays 
the coach in which the false Jacinta is and carries her off. 
Learning her identity and hearing of Jacinta 's elopement, 
he marries Estefania. Carlos is mollified by the thought 
that Francisco is his father's heir. Francisco, however, 
offers his heritage to Fernando who refuses it. Ramyres 
now appears, announces that he has been testing his sons, 
and sanctions the marriage of Fernando and Felisarda. 

The Brothers seems related in some respects to The 
Devil's Law-case (acted 1619; printed 1623). The test 
of a son by a father who gives himself out as dead occurs 
in The London Prodigal and The Staple of News. It is 
found later in The City Match (1639) (cf. Koeppel, Quellen 
Studien, I, 16). Some hints in the play come from The 
Maid's Revenge. For the grasping parent, Don Carlos, 
the poltroon and braggart, Don Pedro (cf. Montenegro, 
The Maid's Revenge), and the dissolute Luys, see Chap. 
IV, Sects. 42, 47, 38. Jacinta is an early sketch of the 
witty young lady (see Chap. IV, Sect. 40). 

For the Spanish plot mentioned in the prologue, see 
under The Politician. 

Act I, Sc. 1. The request of Don Carlos to Francisco 
to cease his attentions to Jacinta, and Francisco's desiring 
permission to pay his addresses to Felisarda as a blind 
for his real passion are drawn from Vilarezo's rejection 
of Antonio's suit, and the latter 's subsequent actions, The 
Maid's Revenge, I, 2, II, 2. Note also Romelio's discour- 
aging Contarino's suit to his sister, The Devil's Law-case, 
I, 1, and cf. Carlos' references to his brother Theodoro's 
losses with the reported losses of Romelio, ibid., II, 1, 3. 
For the reference to the foot-cloth, see Adams' note, The 



Turk, p. 86. The introduction of Alberto by Luys as a 
suitor to Jacinta is based on Antonio and Sebastiano, The 
Maid's Revenge, I, 1, 2. Note also Aurelio as Borgia, The 
Opportunity, I, 2, and cf. Romelio and Ercole, The Devil's 
Law-case, I, 2. The demureness of Luys and his father's 
thinking he has reformed recalls Monsieur Thomas and his 
father, Monsieur Thomas, I, 2, etc. Cf. the meeting of 
Fernando and Felisarda, as described by the former, with 
that of Alsemero and Beatrice, as related in The Changeling, 
I, 1. Farmer suggests that Milton borrowed Uriel's pass- 
ing to and fro between heaven and earth on a sun-beam 
(Par. Lost, IV, 555-60, 589-91) from Fernando's descrip- 
tion of Felisarda at vespers (p. 202) (Essay on the Learn- 
ing of Shakespeare, p. 38). The dispute between the 
brothers in regard to the pretended rivalry of Fernando 
with Francisco points forward to The Court Secret, II, 4. 
Cf. Francisco on his brother's seniority as accidental (p. 
204) with Jamie, The Spanish Curate, I, 1. For the 
brothers as rivals, note that three brothers court the same 
girl in The Fair Maid of the Exchange, pp. 14-16, etc., 
and that they are named Frank, Ferdinand, and An- 
thony. 

Act II, Sc. 1. For Luys' asking Jacinta for money, 
see under The Gentleman of Venice, I, 1, and note The 
London Prodigal, I, 1, IV, 2. His trying to force Jacinta 
to a match with his creditor, Alberto, recalls Romelio, The 
Devil's Law-case, I, 2, III, 3. For the pretending of love 
to deceive the eavesdropping Carlos, see under Chap. IV, 
Sects. 6 and 30. Note the general resemblance to The 
Maid's Revenge, II, 2. The dismissal of Felisarda is 
drawn on for The Witty Fair One, III, 5. Carlos' super- 
seding each of his daughter's suitors by a richer one is 
employed later in St. Patrick for Ireland, IV, 1. Note 
also The Taming of the Shrew, II, 1, The Merry Devil of 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 259 

Edmonton, I, 1, The London Prodigal, II, 4, and The 
Devil's Law-case, I, 1. For the attempt at constraining 
the affections of Jacinta, see Chap. IV, Sect. 42. 

Act III, Sc. 1. The interview between Kamyres and 
Fernando concerning the latter 's love for Felisarda has 
elements in common with similar dialogues in All's Well 
that Ends Well, I, 3, Sejanus, III, 2, Fortune by Land 
and Sea, I, 2, The Roaring Girl, I, 1. Ramyres' threat- 
ening to disinherit his son suggests Fortune by Land and 
Sea, I, 2, III, 1. For the test of his sons, etc., by Ramyres 
which begins in this scene and is concluded in V, 3, see 
under Chap. IV, Sect. 15. For Francisco's struggle be- 
tween love and paternal duty, cf. Sebastiano, The Maid's 
Revenge, IV, 1, 3, 4. 

Sc. 2. For the dialogue between Luys and Alberto con- 
cerning the ill success of the latter 's suit to Jacinta, cf. 
Romelio and Ercole, The Devil's Law-case, I, 2. After 
the entrance of Estefania 1 who is intended as a bride for 
Luys, the latter makes a plea to her that she will not 
"dote too much" on him. This is enlarged upon in Hyde 
Park, II, 4. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. For a later use of Fernando 's awaiting 
news from his father's bedside, see Honoria and Mammon, 
III, 5. This incident is paralleled in Sir Thomas Wyat, 
p. 7. In both plays, physicians and priests pass in and 
out of the sickroom. In Fortune by Land and Sea, IV, 1, 
Old Harding, who has prepared to disinherit his eldest 
son, Phillip, in favor of his younger sons, suddenly dies 
before he can execute his will. There is then an exhibition 
of charity towards the brothers by Phillip which parallels 
Francisco's offer to Fernando, p. 241. The letter from 
Jacinta is a basis for Violetta's message to Aimwell, The 
Witty Fair One, IV, 1. 

i Cf. "Lady Bird's" entrance, Love in a Maze, III, 1. 



Sc. 2. For Luys' planning with Alberto the abduction 
of Jacinta, see under The Maid's Revenge, III, 1. 

Scs. 3 and 4. The confusing of Jacinta and Estefania, 
because of their similar clothing, and the former's escape 
thereby from an abhorrent match are used again in The 
Witty Fair One, IV, 5, 6. Note also The Opportunity, 
II, 3, V, 1, for cases of confusion. Jacinta 's "cold" is 
used in The Witty Fair One, IV, 3. Parallels occur in 
The Comedy of Errors, The Merry Wives of Windsor, V, 
5, Fair Em, III, 3, George-a-Greene, p. 260, The Mad 
Lover, V, 4, The Maid in the Mill, IV, 3, A Match at Mid- 
night, IV, 1, The Guardian, III, 5 (1633). Note that 
Jacinta 's flight is paralleled in The Devil's Law-case, V, 
4, which is notable as perhaps the shortest scene in Eliza- 
bethan drama, consisting of a stage direction. Cf . the later 
Love in a Maze, V, 4. 

Sc. 5. Felisarda's charming lines on country life (pp. 
251-52) recall the glorification of pastoral pursuits, Love 
Tricks, IV, 2. 

Act V, Sc. 1. For the wait of Don Pedro and Don Carlos 
at the church for the bride, see The Wedding, II, 3, and 
cf. The Taming of the Shrew, III, 2. Note Biondello's 
entrance and his description of Petruchio's appearance in 
connection with Alsimira's entrance. Don Pedro's remark, 
"the tragic voice of women strikes mine ear" appears to 
be a quotation from some old play. Alsimira's story is 
paralleled later by the action of The Witty Fair One, V, 
2. 

Sc. 2. Alberto's discovery of his having stolen the 
wrong woman and his philosophic acceptance of the fact 
are utilized in The Witty Fair One, V, 3. Note also Fair 
Em, V, 1, Wit at Several Weapons, V, 1, The Mad Lover, 
V, 4, A Match at Midnight, V, 1, The Guardian, IV, 2, V, 
4 (1633). 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 261 

Sc. 3. For Lilys' invitation to his father (p. 258), see 
under The Gentleman of Venice, I, 1. See under The 
Imposture, I, 2, for parallels to Don Pedro's wrath at the 
loss of Jacinta. Cf. Alberto's suggestion that Don Pedro 
swallow his contract with Estefania, with George-a-Greene, 
p. 254, Sir John Oldcastle, II, 1. Note also Poins' sug- 
gesting the forcing of Falstaff to swallow his letter, Henry 

IV, Part II, II, 2, and Fluellen, Pistol, and the leek, Henry 

V, V, 1. For the resurrection of Ramyres and the conclu- 
sion of his test of Fernando and Felisarda (cf. Ill, 1), see 
Chap. IV, Sects. 29 and 15. His consenting, after this 
long test, to the marriage of Fernando and Felisarda is 
used in The Gamester, V, 2. Russell's similar action in 
A Fair Quarrel, V, 1, is a close parallel. Note that unlike 
Shirley's other profligates (save Orseolo, who is a secret 
debauchee), Luys does not profess penitence at the end of 
the play. For the epilogue by a comic character, see Love 
Tricks. 

II. The Grateful Servant 

The Grateful Servant, Shirley's first attempt at pure 
romantic comedy, owes something to Philaster, Twelfth 
Night, and The City Nightcap, with some elements possi- 
bly derived from The Lover's Melancholy (produced 1628; 
printed 1629). 

The plot of The Grateful Servant runs thus : 
The betrothal between the Duke of Savoy and Leonora, 
Princess of Milan, is broken off, and an attempt is made 
to marry the latter to her uncle. Dressed as a page, and 
accompanied by Valentio, a friar, she flees from Milan. 
They are attacked by banditti, but are rescued by Foscari, 
a Savoyard. He takes Leonora (who has become separated 
from Valentio) into his service as page under the name 
of "Dulcino." Arriving in the capital of Savoy, Foscari 



262 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

who has been thought dead, sends Dulcino to Cleona, his 
mistress, to announce his return. Dulcino who finds the 
Duke courting Cleona tells Foscari of it, and is sent back 
to say that Foscari is indeed dead and that the letter 
brought by the page on the preceding visit was forged. 
Foscari visits the Duke, renounces Cleona to him, and then 
resolves to enter a monastery. The priest whom he con- 
sults is Valentio whom Dulcino recognizes. They then lay 
plans to prevent Foscari 's carrying out his design. The 
court assembles at the abbey, the identity of the two candi- 
dates for admission — Foscari and Dulcino — is revealed, and 
the Duke returns to Leonora, with whose picture he had 
formerly fallen in love, while Foscari and Cleona are united. 
The subplot deals with the reformation of Lodwick, the 
Duke's profligate brother, and his reconciliation with his 
virtuous wife, Astella. 

Foscari belongs to the same type of over-refined, chiv- 
alric lover as Philaster in Philaster, Amintor in The Maid's 
Tragedy, and Menaphon in The Lover's Melancholy. His 
name may be derived from Foscari in Davenant's Siege, 
produced in 1629. For Lodwick, the dissolute young man, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 38. As a negligent husband he is a 
forerunner of Wilding in The Gamester and belongs to the 
same class as Young Flowerdale in The London Prodigal 
and Matheo in The Honest Whore, Part II. Jacomo, the 
foolish steward, seems based upon Malvolio in Twelfth 
Night, but cf. also Bassiolo in The Gentleman Usher, and 
note Malfort in The Lovers' Progress. 

Act I, Sc. 1. The Duke's falling in love with the pic- 
ture of Leonora whom he has never seen is used again in 
The Opportunity, I, 2. Parallels are found in Fair Em, 
I, 1, James IV, I, 3, Agrippina, II (1628), The Queen's 
Exchange, I, 1, II, 1 (1632), Cartwright's Siege, I, 6 
(1637), and The Phoenix in her Flames (1638) (see 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 263 

Schelling, Eliz. Dram., II, 358). Note also Mucedorus in 
love with the reports of Amadine's beauty, Mucedorus, I, 
1, Henry VI in love with Margaret similarly, Henry VI, 
Part I, V, 5, and the Duke with Valentina's glove, The 
Costly Whore, I, 2. Cf. the comments upon Lod wick's 
early marriage (p. 8) with those on the same subject, 
The Cardinal, II, 1. The Duke's deciding to marry one 
of his own subjects has been drawn on in The Humorous 
Courtier, I, 1, and The Coronation, II, 3. Lodwick's ask- 
ing for money seems based on Luys and his sister, The 
Brothers, II, 1. See under The Gentleman of Venice, I, 

I. For Lodwick's inviting his brother to a debauch, see 
under The Gentleman of Venice, I, 1; the source is The 
Brothers, V, 3. See under Love's Cruelty, I, 2, and note 
also Foscari, I, 2, Jacomo, II, 1, V, 1, Grimundo, III, 4, 
as regards Lodwick's hits at court life. For the eaves- 
dropping here, and in II, 1, III, 1, V, 1, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 30. 

Sc. 2. See Chap. IV, Sect. 32, for Leonora's disguise 
as Dulcino, a page. For Foscari 's warning Dulcino 
against the court, cf., together with Lodwick's satire in 
the preceding scene, with the analogues listed under Love's 
Cruelty, I, 2. Note Bellaura, The Gentleman of Venice, 

II, 1, and cf. Philaster, II, 1. For Foscari 's sending a 
message to Cleona by Dulcino, cf. Twelfth Night, I, 4, 
and Philaster, II, 1. See under The Doubtful Heir, II, 
4, for Foscari 's account of his meeting with Dulcino, and 
note Love's Pilgrimage, II, 2, as a close parallel. Cf. 
Grimundo 's informing Foscari of the Duke's suit to 
Cleona with Pisano and Cosmo in the later Traitor, I, 1. 

Act II, Sc. 1. See under The Cardinal, III, 2, for the 
comic preparations for the reception of the Duke. For 
Jacomo 's dreams of greatness, see under The Royal Mas- 
ter, III, 3. Note as possible sources Malvolio in Twelfth 



264 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Night, II, 5, and Jacques in The Noble Gentleman, III, 1. 
The conversation of Dulcino and Cleona resembles a lit- 
tle that of Arethusa and Bellario, Philaster, II, 3. Jaco- 
mo's by-play with Dulcino regarding Cleona 's present sug- 
gests Maffe and Bussy, Bussy D'Ambois, I, 1. Jacomo's 
suspicions of Cleona and Dulcino (see III, 1, and note his 
opinion of Astella and Piero, V, 1) are utilized seriously 
in The Doubtful Heir, IV, 1. For the source, see Philas- 
ter, II, 4, and The Lover's Melancholy, III, 2. Cf. The 
Duke's finding something familiar in the face of Dulcino 
(p. 31, for instance) with the banished Duke and " Gany- 
mede, " in As You Like It, V, 4. Cf . Lodwick and Cleona 
(p. 34 ff.) with the Duke and Ardelia, The Duke's Mis- 
tress, II, 2, and Wilding and Penelope, The Gamester, 
I, 1. Lodwick 's conversation with his neglected wife, As- 
tella, who has been eavesdropping (cf. I, 1, III, 1, and 
V, 1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30) is paralleled in All's 
Well that Ends Well, II, 3, The Fair Maid of Bristow, 
III, 3, How a Man May Choose a Good Wife from a 
Bad, The Phoenix, I, 2, II, 2, The London Prodigal, III, 
3, The Honest Whore, Part II, II, 1, etc., A Yorkshire 
Tragedy, Sc. 2, The Triumph of Death, Sc. 1, The Mis- 
eries of Enforced Marriage, V, 1, The Poor Man's Com- 
fort. Lodwick 's desire for his wife's death (p. 34) sug- 
gests Young Arthur's wish expressed on p. 11 of How a 
Man May Choose a Good Wife. 

Sc. 2. Foscari's sending Dulcino to Cleona to report 
his death is a variation upon Twelfth Night, I, 4. There 
Orsino despatches Viola as Cesario to Olivia with instruc- 
tions to plead his suit. Here Foscari purposes to remove 
himself as an obstruction to the marriage of Cleona to 
the Duke for whose sake Dulcino, or Leonora, had fled 
from Milan. Dulcino, like Cesario, is forwarding a rival's 
suit. Shirley uses this situation with variations in Love in 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 265 

a Maze, II, 1, and The Sisters, III, 2. See Chap. IV, Sect. 
5, for parallels. 

Act III, Sc. 1. For Jacomo's dreams 2 and for his sus- 
picions of Cleona and Dulcino, see under II, 1, V, 1. For 
his eavesdropping, cf. I, 1, II, 1, V, 1, and see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 30. Note Philaster, II, 2. The scene between Cleona 
and Dulcino suggests ibid., II, 3. The tone there is not 
so serious as here, however. Dulcino 's pressing the Duke's 
suit is based probably upon Twelfth Night, I, 5, III, 1. 
Note the renunciatory love-agent in Chap. IV, Sect. 5, 
and observe the relationship, in this case, to love-making 
by proxy (see Chap. IV, Sect. 3, for parallels). 

Sc. 2 is principally comic. Note Jacomo's desire to 
be seen by the Duke as contrasted with Bombo's "mod- 
esty," The Royal Master, I, 2, etc. 

Sc. 3 is concerned with Foscari's resolving to enter a 
monastery. For his opening soliloquy, note the later Love 
in a Maze, IV, 1. The list of eminent persons who had 
entered his order which Valentio gives suggests the list 
of the fallen at Agincourt, Henry V, IV, 8. Cf. the 
casualties at the siege of Troy, The Iron Age, Part II, III, 
1 (printed 1632). Gifford conjectures from this glorifica- 
tion of the Benedictines that Shirley's confessor was a 
member of that order. 

Sc. 4. The plot for the reforming of the rakish Lod- 
wick which Grimundo sets under way is based on Pene- 
lope's reformation of Fowler, The Witty Fair One, III, 4, 
IV, 4, V, 1, 3. In the later Gamester, II, 1, etc., Wild- 
ing is reclaimed by his wife, Penelope and Hazard. Note 
The Traitor, III, 2, 3, The Lady of Pleasure, II, 1, All's 
Well that Ends Well, III, 2, Measure for Measure, III, 1, 
Women Pleased, III, 4, IV, 3, The Parliament of Love, 

2 Cf . Jacomo's toothpick (p. 43) with similar allusions in The 
Constant Maid, III, 2, and see under The Ball, I, 1. 



Ill, 3, The Courageous Turk, I, II, Holland's Leaguer, 
II, 2, etc. Note The Wonder of a Kingdom, IV, 1 (a plan 
is mentioned), for incidents more or less analogous. 
Grimundo's pretended licentiousness suggests very strongly 
Malcolm's description of himself, Macbeth, IV, 3. Cf. 
The Noble Gentleman, I, 2, for a possible source. Note 
also Savile, The Scornful Lady, I, 2, Polydore, The Mad 
Lover, IV, 4, and the White Knight, A Game at Chess, 

V, 3. For the satire on courts in this scene, cf. I, 1, etc., 
and see under Love's Cruelty, I, 2. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. Lodwick's inciting Piero to adultery 
with Astella is a variation of the Curious Impertinent 
theme. Cf. The Doubtful Heir, IV, 1, The Gentleman 
of Venice, IV, 3, and The Humorous Courtier, III, 1, for 
other variations on it by Shirley. Note also The Mayor 
of Queenborough, III, 1, Amends for Ladies, I, 1, The 
Coxcomb, II, 1, The Second Maiden's Tragedy, I, 2 (the 
Wife mentions to Votarius her husband's estrangement), 
The City Nightcap, I, 1. 

Sc. 2. Note the contrast between the preceding scene 
and this. For the renouncing of Cleona to the Duke by 
Foscari, see Chap. IV, Sect. 4. A close parallel occurs 
in The Deserving Favorite, I, 1 (printed 1629). Ly- 
sander pleads with his mistress, Clarinda, for his rival, 
the Duke, because of his own poverty as opposed to the 
wealth of the last. Florello's yielding up Bertolina to 
Soranzo, his rival, in Davenant's Siege, V (acted 1629) 
should also be noticed. Neilson says that Foscari 's ro- 
mantic generosity recalls Heywood (Cam. Hist. Eng. Lit., 

VI, 229). 

Sc. 3 shows the meeting of Dulcino and Father Valentio, 
and their recognition of each other. 

Scs. 4 and 5, which deal with the assignation arranged 
by Grimundo for Lodwick, are best taken together. For 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 267 

the question of assignations, see under The Traitor, V, 2 
(unlike the parallels to that scene there is no attempt at 
secrecy here). Greg considers the satyrs, nymphs and Sil- 
vanus to be of pastoral origin (Past. Poet, and Past. 
Dram., p. 408). Note too The Triumph of Peace, p. 273. 
For the use of music, see also The Witty Fair One, IV, 3, 
The Lady of Pleasure, IV, 1, The Wonder of a Kingdom, 
IV, 1, The Picture, III, 5, News from Plymouth, IV 
(1635). Belinda's pretense of being a devil is used in 
The Lady of Pleasure, IV, 1. Cf. Erectho as Sophronisba, 
Sophronisba, IV, 1, the Suecubus, A Mad World, My Mas- 
ters, IV, 1 (results in conversion of a rake), Anne, A 
New Trick to Cheat the Devil (Schelling, Eliz. Dram., II, 
261). See also Howell's Familiar Letters, I, 98 (Jaquette 
and the she-devil). For Belinda's incitements to love, see 
under Love's Cruelty, II, 2. Her allusion to Ariadne's 
crown (p. 78), recalls a similar figure in The Blind Beg- 
gar of Alexandria, p. 12. 

Act V, Sc. 1. For Piero's attack on the chastity of 
Astella and her defense of her honor, see Chap. IV, Sect. 
9. Cf. Jacomo's eavesdropping with I, 1, II, 1, and III, 
1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. For his suspicions of Piero 
and Astella, cf. II, 1, and III, 1. After hearing Jacomo's 
scandalous suggestions, Lodwick thinks himself a cuckold, 
for which, see Chap. IV, Sect. 25. For Jacomo's mention 
of the song, For I did but Kiss Her, see under Love's 
Cruelty, IV, 1. Cf. Lodwick 's comment on Piero's mel- 
ancholy with The Coxcomb, IV, 8; contrast Contarini, 
The Humorous Courtier, V, I, and Wilding, The Game- 
ster, IV, 1. Note Protaldye's comment on Thierry's light- 
heartedness, Thierry and Theodoret, III, 1. Cf. Piero's 
claiming to have succeeded with Astella with Subtle 's like 
claim, Amends for Ladies, V, 1. His expression of peni- 
tence should be compared with Lodwick 's in the follow- 



268 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

ing scene (see Chap. IV, Sect. 10). For his affirmation 
of Astella's virtue, see under The Gentleman of Venice, 
V, 2. Jacomo's mention of Fortune my Foe (p. 87) has 
parallels in The Merry "Wives of Windsor, III, 3, The 
Maid's Metamorphosis, II, Every Woman in her Humor, 
III, 1, The Return from Parnassus, Part I, I, 1, Lingua, 

III, 7, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, V, 3, The Cus- 
tom of the Country, I, 1, The Two Merry Milkmaids, The 
Noble Soldier, III, 2 (mentioned as a "hanging tune"), 
Love and Honor, II, 1, The Antipodes, III, 5, The Anat- 
omy of Melancholy (see Davenant's Dramatic Works, III, 
117, note). The words of the song are found in Ebs- 
worth's Bagford Ballads, Part IV, pp. 962-63. 

Sc. 2. For the setting, cf. The Imposture, II, 1, 3. For 
the resurrection of Foscari, cf. I, 2, II, 1, and see Chap. 

IV, Sect. 29. For the conversion of Lodwick, cf. Sc. 1 
preceding, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 10. Note Young Ar- 
thur's conversion, How a Man May Choose a Good Wife 
from a Bad, p. 74. For Leonora's (or Dulcino's) use of 
the title of the play, see Chap. IV, Sect. 31. 

III. The Arcadia 

There is no record of the licensing of The Arcadia for 
performance, although the titlepage of the edition of 1640 
states that it had been "acted by her Majesty's Servants 
at the Phoenix in Drury Lane." Fleay advances the 
theory that the play was written by command and pro- 
duced at court on the King's birthday, November 19, 1632 
(Biog. Chron., II, 239). That Shirley was commissioned 
to produce this dramatization of Sidney's romance seems 
likely, first, because of the great interest in pastoral and 
pastoral-romantic drama at the court of Charles I; and 
secondly, since, contrary to his usual methods of composi- 
tion, he has followed his source with extreme fidelity and 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 269 

has given a practically complete acting version of the main 
plot of The Arcadia. The date which Fleay assigns for 
the play cannot, however, be justified on the evidence 
which he advances as a means of determining it. In the 
first place, the reference by the rebels to Basilius' "ma- 
jestical birthday " in III, l, 3 has no reference to King 
Charles' birthday, for in Sidney's romance (p. 137) the 
day preceding that on which the revolt broke out is men- 
tioned as Basilius' birthday. Certainly, too, had Shirley 
written the play for any such occasion as Fleay asserts 
he did, he would not have placed the allusion to it in the 
mouth of a rebel. Furthermore, Fleay alleges that there 
is an allusion to the actor who played Mopsa in Nabbes' 
Covent Garden, which was presented in 1632. This "al- 
lusion" is as follows: 

"Jerker. — Methinks she's very beautiful. What pinken 
eyes! What a sharp chin! Why her features transcend 
Mopsa 's in The Arcadia! 

Jeffrey. — Hath she not studied it, cousin, think you? 
And is transported to a humor of loving every man she 
sees?" (I, 6). 

From the second speech we see that the allusion was to 
a printed book, and, as Nabbes' play was published in 
1638 and The Arcadia in 1640, it must be not to Shirley's 
play but to the original Arcadia of Sidney. Fleay has 
neglected to mention the additional "allusion" in III, 2, 
of Nabbes' comedy, which runs thus: 

"Susan. — Now Mr. Spruce hath studien [sic] The Ar- 
cadia. He says, 'Oh that I had this Warrant here! I 
would cut him into atoms, that wheresoever the sun shines, 
the trophies of my renowned victory might be visible!' " 

3 Fleay has here been led astray by the carelessness of Dyce's 
editorial work. The scene is 1, but is numbered 2 at the top of p. 
205. 



270 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Plainly Nabbes here refers again to Sidney's Arcadia. 

Fleay appears to have dropped the idea which he ad- 
vances in Anglia, VIII, 406-7, that Shirley's Arcadia was 
the play presented at court by the Queen and her ladies 
to which occasion the disrespectful language of Prynne 
was considered to refer, for he later says that Montague's 
Shepherds' Paradise was the pastoral presented by the 
noble actresses (Stage, pp. 344-45, Biog. Chron., II, 118). 

The theory that Carew's four choruses and two Songs 
in the Play ("A Lover in the disguise of an Amazon is 
dearly beloved of his mistress" and "A Lady, rescued 
from death by a Knight, who in the instant leaves her, 
complains thus") (Fleay, Biog. Chron., II, 239) were 
written for use in this play cannot be a correct one, for, 
as Vincent in a note in his edition of Carew's Poems, p. 
249, says, they are inappropriate as parts of Shirley's 
Arcadia, not only in matter, but as far as the two songs 
go, in regard to the occasions on which they were sung. 
There is no evidence of Pyrocles' having a song in IV, 
3, or later, and nowhere in the play does a knight rescue 
a lady and immediately leave her. 

No date can be advanced for The Arcadia with any 
great degree of certainty save the unsatisfactory one of 
"before 1640." It may have been omitted accidentally 
from Malone's list of the licenses for Shirley's plays, or 
it may have been presented in Ireland, 4 or not at all at a 
public performance, in spite of the titlepage of the old 

* It does not occur in the list of plays belonging to the Queen's 
Men in 1639, as given in Fleay, Stage, p. 357. There Fleay says 
in a note that six plays by Shirley which were performed by the 
Queen's Company are omitted. These must be, from his list on p. 
341, The Brothers (a King's Men play, in fact), The Ball, The 
Bird in a Cage, The Gamester, The Duke's Mistress and The Con- 
stant Maid (produced in Ireland, probably). If we add The Arcadia 
we have seven plays. Why this discrepancy is inexplicable. 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 271 

edition. Since Shirley's Irish period is so well supplied 
with plays, we may with some justice conjecture that The 
Arcadia belongs perhaps to 1627, or to 1630, years in 
which there seem to have been no plays licensed as by 
Shirley. In these years it should be noted, the dramatic 
pastoral had begun to take on new life, and in view of 
that fact what more likely than that one of the first sources 
to be drawn on would be the often-reprinted Arcadia 
of Sidney? At any rate, for the purposes of this study 
the play will be placed tentatively between the years 1627 
and 1630. 

As has been intimated, Shirley's version of The Ar- 
cadia lacks originality. Hardly an incident is introduced 
which is not based on the romance. As a result the char- 
acterization is poor and conventional. There is some at- 
tempt at differentiating the two Princesses according to 
Sidney's description of them (The Arcadia, p. 10), and 
the other figures are taken over much as Sidney created 
them. However, the great skill with which Shirley has 
performed the task of dramatization must be considered. 
From the five books of The Arcadia, totally eliminating 
the portion of the third book which deals with Amphialus 
and Cecropia's abduction of Philoclea and Pamela, he has 
made a unified and clear drama, devoid of verbosity and 
moving rapidly, in spite of Dibdin's assertion that it is 
"dull and perplexed" (History of the Stage, IV, 43). 

The play is a pastoral only by virtue of its source, for 
the only evidence of a pastoral influence, as Greg notes 
(Past. Poet, and Past. Dram., p. 319 ff.), is the show or 
masque in I, 3. Here the rustic character of the perform- 
ers is the principal pastoral element. 5 

s Other dramatizations of parts of Sidney's Arcadia are Day's Isle 
of Gulls, Beaumont and Fletcher's Cupid's Revenge, Glapthorne's 
Argalus and Parthenia, Love's Changelings Changed, J. S.'s Andro- 



272 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

The plot of The Arcadia is, briefly, as follows : 
On account of an oracle, Basilius, King of Arcadia, has 
withdrawn into the country with his Queen, Gynecia, and 
his two daughters, Pamela and Philoclea. They are ac- 
companied by Pyrocles, Prince of Macedon, disguised as 
Zelmane, an Amazon, who is in love with Philoclea. Basi- 
lius loves Pyrocles whom he thinks a woman, while Gynecia, 
having discovered his true sex, also is enamored of him. 
Pamela is beloved by Musidorus, cousin to Pyrocles, who, 
as the shepherd Dorus, serves her governor, the rustic 
Dametas. Mopsa, the latter 's daughter, is in love with 
Musidorus. Pressed by both the King and Queen for as- 
signations, Pyrocles arranges a meeting for each of them 
at the same place at the same hour. While they are thus 
engaged, Pyrocles attempts to induce Philoclea to flee with 
him. They are overpowered by a mysterious drowsiness, 
however, and are discovered together by Dametas, and 
Pyrocles is made a prisoner. Musidorus has, in the mean- 
time, sent Dametas, his wife, Miso, and Mopsa, on vari- 
ous fool's errands and has taken the opportunity of their 
absence to flee with Pamela. However, they are captured 
by certain rustics who, after an abortive rebellion, have 
turned outlaws, and are brought back to the King's lodge. 
While these events have been transpiring, Basilius has 
met Gynecia, thinking her the false Amazon, and, after 
betraying himself, has been exhorted into repentance by 
her. He swallows a draught which she gives him and 
apparently dies. Gynecia yields herself up as the cause 
of his death. King Euarchus of Macedon, father of Py- 
rocles, happening to arrive, he is invited to sit as judge 
upon Gynecia, Pyrocles, Musidorus, and Dametas, who 
are tried for the King's murder and for the unsuccessful 

mana, The Arcadian Lovers (eighteenth century?), Morgan's Phi- 
loclea (see Greg, Past, Poet, and Past. Dram., p. 319 ft'.). 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 273 

elopements of his daughters. Euarchas condemns the first 
three to death, in spite of his discovery of the relationship 
borne to him by the two young men. Opportunely, Basi- 
lius revives from his supposedly lifeless condition, and so 
the prisoners are freed, the marriages of the Princes and 
Princesses follow and the oracle is fulfilled. 6 

Act I, Sc. 1. The expostulations of Philanax to Basilius 
on the latter 's retirement are based on the letter of Phi- 
lanax to the King, Arcadia, pp. 12-13. For the oracle, 
see Arcadia, p. 204 (cf. under St. Patrick for Ireland, I, 
1). For men disguised as women (Pyrocles as Zelmane), 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 41. Cf. also Machessa in The Lady 
Errant (1635) and the ladies' disguises in The Amorous 
War (1639). Basilius' courtship of Pyrocles in this 
scene, together with the suit of Gynecia to the latter in 
II, 1, is based on Pyrocles' description to Musidorus of 
the passion of the King and Queen for him, Arcadia, pp. 
53-54. For a man's making love to a woman as a man, 
see under Love Tricks, IV, 1, and cf. I, 3, II, 1, III, 3, of 
this play. See under The Humorous Courtier for dis- 
guised suitors. 

Sc. 2. Mopsa's coyness at first when sued to by Musi- 
dorus is drawn from Arcadia, pp. 106-07. For Musi- 
dorus' wooing Pamela by pretending to court Mopsa in 
her presence, see Arcadia, pp. 101-2, Musidorus' account 
of the same to Pyrocles (cf. pretenses of love and double 
meanings as listed in Chap. IV, Sects. 6 and 27). The 
dialogue from the words " sweet madam, plead for me" 

6 The tenor of the oracle is that Basilius' daughters shall be stolen 
away and wed, one to a prince, the other to an "uncouth love," and 
that they shall be tried at the bier of Basilius whom they have 
made dead, while a foreign prince shall sit in Basilius' place, and 
that before these events shall occur Basilius shall commit adultery 
with his own wife. 



274 SHIRLEY'S PLAYS AND THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 

(p. 179) to Dametas' entrance (p. 181) inclusive is drawn 
from Arcadia, pp. 106-7. The mention of Musidorus as 
Dorus, brother to Menalcas (p. 180), is based on Arcadia, 
p. 67. Dametas refers to "Pericles, Prince of Tyre" (p. 
181), for which see Koeppel, Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 
62. For Dametas' "when you carry an M under your 
girdle," Dyce refers to Eastward Ho, IV, 1, for an ana- 
logue. 

Sc. 3. The "pastorals" (mentioned p. 178) parallel 
those at the end of Bk. I, Arcadia (see under Love Tricks, 
V, 3). Dyce derives "dandiprat" as applied to Cupid 
(p. 184) from Stanyhurst's ^Eneis, Sig. C (Bk. I, 1. 719). 
The expression occurs as similarly applied in The Royal 
Master, II, 1. For Gynecia's being overcome with her 
love for Pyrocles, cf. Arcadia, p. 97, and elsewhere. 

Act II, Sc. 1. For the courting of Pyrocles in the arbor 
by Gynecia, see Arcadia, p. 96 ff. In both Pyrocles while 
playing on the lute and singing, is surprised by Gynecia 
who makes love to him, 7 and is interrupted by Basilius. 
She leaves the stage and Basilius courts Pyrocles. Other 
meetings of Gynecia and Pyrocles occur, pp. 354 and 
365 ff., Arcadia. Her expression of rivalry with Philoclea 
in this scene (p. 188) is based on Arcadia, p. 354. Py- 
rocles' pretense of yielding to her suit is founded partly 
on Arcadia, p. 354; his confession of his true sex on p. 366 ; 
and his promises of satisfaction on p. 367. For Philoclea 's 
courting Pyrocles at Basilius' desire (pp. 189-90), see 
Arcadia, p. 162 ff. 8 His kissing Philoclea and requesting 
her not to speak of her errand (p. 190) is drawn from 
Arcadia, p. 164, and his confession of his identity to her 
from pp. 16<M>5. Philoclea 's reference to Pyrocles' sav- 

7 For a lady's owning her love to the object of it, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 1. 

« For love-making by proxy, see Chap. IV, Sect. 3. 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 275 

ing her life is based on Arcadia, p. 68 ff. They are inter- 
rupted by Basilius instead of by Miso, as in Arcadia, 
p. 293 (sic; 193 properly). What Pyrocles says to Ba- 
silms concerning Philoclea's intercession (p. 191) is based 
on Philoclea's words with her father, Arcadia, p. 206. 
For the King's courtship of Pyrocles which follows, cf. 
Arcadia, pp. 161-62. His boasts as to his vigor are drawn 
from Arcadia, p. 350 (cf. also Love Tricks, I, 1). For 
Pyrocles' pretense of yielding to the suit of Basilius, see 
earlier in this scene, and cf. also The Gamester, III, 1, 
All's Well that Ends Well, III, 7, IV, 2, Measure for 
Measure, IV, 1, The Parliament of Love, III, 3. Note in 
this relation, III, 3, Shirley's Arcadia. Musidorus' report 
to Pyrocles of his success with Pamela is represented in 
Sidney's Arcadia, p. 103 ff. It should be remembered 
that nowhere in Shirley's play does Pamela pretend scorn 
for Musidorus as in Arcadia, p. 231 ff., etc. The strata- 
gems by which Musidorus secures the absence of Dametas 
(p. 194 ff.), of Miso (p. 197 ff.), and of Mopsa (p. 198 ff.), 
are drawn from Arcadia, pp. 355, 356 ff., and 359 ff., re- 
spectively. Cf. also Leandro's device to remove Bartolus 
from his house, The Spanish Curate, IV, 3, 5. 

Act III, Sc. 1. The beginning of the revolt comes from 
Clinias' story, Arcadia, p. 201 ff. Thumb, the miller, is 
found in Arcadia, p. 196. There he is killed: cf. IV, 1, 
of the play, " Thumb, the miller is cut off." The conver- 
sation of the rebels before the appearance of Basilius is 
based on Jack Cade and his fellows, Henry VI, Part II, 
IV, 2, 3, 6, 7. For the Arcadian rebels' discussion of the 
laws, see particularly Scs. 6 and 7, as cited above. Note 
also the orders of Castruccio as King, The Double Mar- 
riage, III, 2, and cf. The Gentleman of Venice, III, 1. 
For other analogues see Sir Thomas More, II, 1, 2, 4, Ed- 
ward IV, Part I, pp. 10, 26, Histriomastix, V, 1, Sir John 



276 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Oldcastle, II, 2, III, 2, Sir Thomas Wyat, pp. 20 ff., 43 ff., 
Perkin Warbeck, II, 3, IV, 2. For revolts in general, see 
under The Politician, IV, 3. From "Enter Basilius, etc." 
(p. 204), Sidney's Arcadia (p. 195) is the source. There 
Basilius does not enter with the others, but, hearing the 
noise, comes with arms and armor. Sidney 's revolt is more 
elaborate than Shirley's. As before noted, Basilius' birth- 
day in the romance falls on the day preceding the revolt 
(cf. Sidney, p. 137, and Shirley, III, 1, p. 205). Cf. 
Pyrocles' beating off the rebels with Antonio, A Very 
Woman, V, 3 (1634?). The arrival of Philanax in the 
play is more opportune than in the romance (p. 204), 
where he does not appear until the rebellion has been sup- 
pressed. For Basilius' assignation with Pyrocles, see Ar- 
cadia, p. 376 ff. 

Sc. 2. In Sidney's Arcadia Apollo's tree is not where 
Dametas goes "gold-finding," nor does that character find 
anything else than a parchment with verses on it in his 
search for the treasure (Arcadia, p. 404). Dametas' find- 
ing Mopsa in the tree is based on Arcadia, p. 405. She 
borrows literally from their conversation, as Sidney gives 
it (p. 406). For Miso's appearance and quarrel with 
Dametas and her daughter, see Arcadia, pp. 406-07. 

Sc. 3. For Gynecia's assignation with Pyrocles, see 
Arcadia, p. 377, and for the latter 's plan of taking the 
former's place in Basilius' bed, see p. 378. Cf. also Clere- 
mont as supposedly in bed with Champernel, The Little 
French Lawyer, III, 3. 

Sc. 4. The presence of Pyrocles and Philoclea in the 
latter 's chamber is founded on Arcadia, p. 381 ff. Cf. 
The Lovers' Progress, III, 3, and The Island Princess, 
III, 3. For her confessing that she had wished he were a 
man, see Arcadia, p. 110. For their slumber (pp. 218-19), 
see Arcadia, p. 386. There Philoclea is too exhausted to 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 277 

flee. Dametas' entrance is founded on the romance, p. 408. 
For a use of the vault, cf. Tancred and Gismunda, IV, 1 
(reported), Bussy D'Ambois, II, 1, The Revenge of Bussy 
D'Ambois, V, 1, Sophronisba, III, 1, The Bloody Banquet, 
IV, 3, Aglaura, V, 2. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. With Sc. 2, see under The Sisters, I, 1, 
for the thieves. The Captain's inquiry after Thumb and 
the answers are based on Cade and Dick of Ashford, 
Henry VI, Part II, IV, 3. 

Sc. 2. Cf. the escape of Musidorus and Pamela with 
The Weakest Goeth to the Wall, III, 5. For their cap- 
ture, see Arcadia, pp. 365, 426 ff. In the play they do not 
sleep as in the romance (the slumber is transferred to 
III, 4?). Cf. also, Musidorus, III, 3, IV, 3, V, 1, The 
Little French Lawyer, IV, 5. The Captain's threatening 
Pamela is drawn from Arcadia, p. 427, and the thieves' 
decision to carry the fugitives back to the King from 
p. 428 ff. 

Sc. 3. Gynecia's upbraiding Basilius for his attempted 
infidelity to her, her pretense of having gone to the cave 
to meet him, his repentance, the use of the liquor in the 
golden vessel and its effect, are based upon Arcadia, 
p. 409 ff. For parallels to the intercourse of Basilius and 
Gynecia, by mistake, see under The Wedding, V, 1; for 
the love-philtre, under The Maid's Revenge, V, 2; and for 
the conversion of Basilius, see Chap. IV, Sect. 10. For the 
apparent death of Basilius, see Arcadia, p. 412. In the 
play Gynecia at once surrenders herself, but in the ro- 
mance (p. 413), she tries to escape, and when captured 
she avows her guilt (p. 414). Cf. the appearance of 
Philanax with Arcadia, p. 415. In the romance the rebels 
are executed (p. 432), whereas in the play (p. 235) they 
are pardoned, apparently for their capture of Musidorus 
and Pamela. 



278 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Act V, Sc. 1. For scenes laid in a prison, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 14. Pamela's arguing for her succession to the throne 
is based on Arcadia, p. 433. The "iron age" referred to 
by Dametas (p. 238) may be an allusion to Hey wood's 
plays, which were published 1632 (after the tentative date 
assigned to The Arcadia). 

Sc. 2. For the arrival of Euarchus and his being chosen 
as judge, see Arcadia, p. 444 ff. There is no mention in 
the play of Euarchus' election as Protector of the realm 
as in the romance. The trial is drawn from Arcadia, 
p. 453 ff. For the setting, see Arcadia, p. 458. For trial 
scenes, see Chap. IV, Sect. 17. Philoclea's being con- 
demned to confinement and perpetual chastity is drawn 
from Arcadia, p. 461. Gynecia's checking of Philanax 
and confession of her guilt (p. 242) is from Arcadia, 
p. 462. Euarchus' sentence on her is from Arcadia, p. 463. 
The false names given by the two Princes are those given 
in the romance (p. 464) where they are used elsewhere. 
The speech of Philanax against Pyrocles is a condensation 
and paraphrase of the corresponding speech, Arcadia, 
p. 465 ff., and Pyrocles' answer is from the corresponding 
defense, Arcadia, p. 468 ff. For Philanax against Mu- 
sidorus, and the latter 's answer, see Arcadia, p. 472, and 
pp. 473-74, respectively. Dametas, Miso and Mopsa are 
called as witnesses in the romance (p. 474), and the first 
is not there made an accessory, as in the play. Euarchus' 
sentence of Pyrocles and Musidorus (p. 248) is based on 
Arcadia, p. 477. The short speech of Euarchus, which pre- 
cedes his pronouncing sentence on the Princes, is based 
on Arcadia, p. 475 ff. The entrance of Calodoulus (pp. 
248-49) and the discovery of the Princes' identity is 
drawn from Arcadia, pp. 477-78. Euarchus' persistence 
in regard to the finality of his judgment and Musidorus' 
indignation thereat come from Arcadia, pp. 479-80. The 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 279 

resurrection of Basilius (who is here called "Duke" in 
the romance) is based on Arcadia, p. 481 (see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 29, for parallels to his revival, and cf. The Bird in 
a Cage, V, 1, and Chap. IV, Sect. 13, for the sleeping- 
potion) . For the close of the play, see Arcadia, p. 482. 

IV. The Humorous Courtier 

In Malone's transcripts from Herbert's Officebook 
(Shakespeare Variorum, III, 231-32) there is no record of 
the licensing of The Humorous Courtier under that title. 
However, on May 17, 1631, The Duke was licensed, and 
since the Duke of Parma is an important figure in The 
Humorous Courtier, it is very reasonable to identify the 
latter as The Duke. It is possible, too, that The Conceited 
Duke mentioned in Beeston's list of plays, August 10, 1639 
(Collier, Hist. Eng. Dram. Poet., II, 92, note), may be 
the same as The Duke and The Humorous Courtier. 
However, this identification of Fleay's (Biog. Chron., II, 
237) may be doubted, for the play was entered in the 
Stationers' Register under its present title, July 29, 1639 
(cf. Nason, James Shirley, Chap. IV). 

According to Stiefel, The Humorous Courtier is based 
on a Spanish play (Romanische Forsehungen, V, 196, 
note). However that may be, in material, structure, and 
characters, The Humorous Courtier shows the influence of 
the comedy of humors of thirty years earlier. The central 
point of The Humorous Courtier is the exposure of folly 
in various characters, which in one case is absolutely crimi- 
nal. In its satirical purpose the play aligns itself with 
An Humorous Day's Mirth, Every Man out of his Humor, 
Cynthia's Revels, Volpone, The Phoenix, Michaelmas Term, 
Your Five Gallants, Fortune by Land and Sea, The Royal 
King and Loyal Subject, Humor out of Breath. As a 
matter of fact, The Humorous Courtier is a test which 



280 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

occupies five entire acts and which monopolizes all the 
action (see Chap. IV, Sect. 15). This connects it with The 
Widow's Tears and The London Prodigal. 

A summary of the plot follows: 

The Duke of Parma, who is a suitor to the Duchess of 
Mantua, pretends to leave Mantua, but, under the name 
of Giotto, remains disguised in the service of the Duchess. 
The Duchess announces that she will choose a husband 
from among her own subjects. Contarini, a newly mar- 
ried lord, Comachio, an old lord, and Volterre, a foolish 
lord just returned from travel, think certain speeches of 
the Duchess refer to them, and begin accordingly to pay 
court to her. Laura, a favorite of the Duchess, bears 
word to Depazzi, Comachio 's foolish nephew, and also to 
Orseolo, a seeming misogynist, that they are favored by 
the Duchess. All five are encouraged to a certain extent 
in their love-making. Contarini attempts to persuade 
Carintha, his wife, to kill herself so as to set him free. 
Failing in this, he suborns Giotto to furnish him with 
grounds for a divorce. Orseolo is told that his hatred for 
women is suspected to rise from a physical disability, so 
he confesses to Giotto that his attitude towards the other 
sex has been merely a blind for his lechery. After the 
five suitors have made themselves sufficiently ridiculous, 
the Duchess assembles her court, reprimands the aspirants, 
and chooses as husband Giotto, who reveals his true iden- 
tity. The Duke, who, as Giotto, has been suspected by 
Contarini of performing his part of their agreement, now 
confirms Carintha 's chastity and so the play ends. 

The title of The Humorous Courtier connects it with 
The Humorous Lieutenant. Orseolo, himself, appears 
modeled upon Gondarino in The Woman Hater, as far as 
his assumed character is concerned. Jacomo in The Cap- 
tain is another figure of the same sort. Note also Alphonso 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 281 

in The Queen. The disguised Duke is found in The Fawn, 
The Malcontent, and Measure for Measure. In The 
Phcenix, we have a Prince in disguise. All four of these 
plays show a prince in disguise moving among the mem- 
bers of a court and observing their weaknesses. Shirley 
has a duke in disguise in The Opportunity, and a dis- 
guised prince in The Sisters, also. The suitor in disguise 
occurs in The "Wedding, The Arcadia, and The Bird in a 
Cage. Note Lucentio and Hortensio in The Taming of 
the Shrew, Pedro in The Pilgrim, Galeazzo in The Bashful 
Lover, as examples of this character. The Duchess with 
her suitors whom she leads on to their final confusion re- 
sembles the later Carol in Hyde Park, Lucina in The Ball, 
Jacinta in The Example, and Lady Mammon in Honoria 
and Mammon. Laura and Giotto recall Maria and Sir 
Toby in Twelfth Night. For characters resembling, in a 
general way, Depazzi and Volterre, see Chap. IV, Sects. 44, 
and 45. Note especially in connection with Depazzi and 
his uncle, Comachio, Bergetto and Donado, 'Tis Pity She's 
a Whore. The name "Depazzi" is given to a foolish 
character in the practically contemporaneous Traitor. 
For his foolish servant, see Chap. IV, Sect. 45. The 
travelled Volterre resembles in some particulars Monsieur 
D 'Olive in Monsieur D 'Olive. Note also Puntarvolo in 
Every Man out of his Humor, Amorphus in Cynthia's 
Revels, Gullio in The Return from Parnassus, Part I, 
Eustace in The Elder Brother. Jack Freshwater in The 
Ball is a similar character of a lower type. Dondolo, as 
the name of a character, occurs in The Just Italian, and 
a personage called Charintha figures in the same play. 

In the dramatis persona, as in The Politician, etc., the 
name of the character from whom the play receives its 
title is followed by the title (see Chap. IV, Sect. 31). 

Act I, Sc. 1. Orseolo's voicing his hatred of women 



282 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

suggests Gondarino, The Woman Hater, II, 1. Cf. also, as 
a later variation, Horatio, The Duke's Mistress, II, 1, etc. 
Koeppel suggests that Orseolo's "Almost put a girdle 
around the earth" (p. 534), together with Rolliardo's 
"When I have put a girdle around the earth," The Bird 
in a Cage, IV, 2, is derived from Puck's "I'll put a girdle 
around the earth in forty minutes, ' ' A Midsummer Night 's 
Dream, II, 1 (Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 60) (see Bullen, 
Works of Middleton, VII, 342, note; Old Plays, II, 43, 
note). Note Comachio's petitioning the Duchess to marry 
in order that there may be an heir to the throne. 9 The 
Duchess' answer to Comachio (pp. 540-41), if taken in 
connection with her choice of Giotto, V, 3, contains a dou- 
ble meaning — her intention of selecting a husband from 
her own court. See Chap. IV, Sect. 27, for misinterpre- 
tations, etc. Note also The Opportunity, III, 3, IV, 1, 
Hyde Park, I, 1 (reported), The Ball, II, 3, IV, 3, for 
more outspoken pretenses of preference on the part of a 
lady toward her foolish suitors. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Contarini's attempt at persuading 
Corintha to kill herself so that he might marry the Duchess 
seems a variation on the relations of Lodwick and Astella, 
The Grateful Servant, II, 1. Note also Wilding and his 
wife, The Gamester, I, 1. 

Sc. 2. For Depazzi's verses, here and in IV, 1, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 22. His description of his facility of 
composition recalls Montenegro, The Maid's Revenge, I, 2. 
For the mention of Depazzi's "lock" (p. 549), cf. V, 2, 
following, The Bird in a Cage, I, 1, The Coronation, I, 1, 
The Lady of Pleasure, II, 1, Epicoene, IV, 2, Love and 
Honor, II, 1. For Crispino's attentions to his master, cf. 
Liladam and Young Novall, The Fatal Dowry, II, 2. It 
may be remarked that Depazzi's various adventures at 

o The parallels to this incident are not at hand. 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 283 

court seem the source for Petrucio's actions, The An- 
tiquary, III, 1, V, 1. At various places in this play occur 
scraps of Spanish, as in II, 1 (pp. 549, 553-54-57), III, 1 
(p. 562), IV, 2 (p. 587). For Shirley's use of scraps of 
Spanish in other plays, cf. The Wedding, III, 2, The Ex- 
ample, IV, 1, A Contention for Honor and Riches, Sc. 3. 
See also Old Fortunatus, III, 1, The Alchemist, IV, 1, 2, 
The Devil is an Ass, V, 5, The Lady's Trial, IV, 2 (1638), 
The Obstinate Lady, III, 3 (1638-39). Depazzi's refer- 
ence to a good dancer's rising at court (p. 554) seems 
aimed at the Earl of Somerset and the Duke of Bucking- 
ham, in the reign of James I (Clarendon, Hist., I, 15 ff. ; 
Traill, Social England, IV, 164-65). Comachio's distress 
at Depazzi's addressing the Duchess (p. 555) recalls Do- 
nado's attempts at preventing Bergetto's speaking to Anna- 
bella, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, II, 6. See also The Coro- 
nation, III, 2. Orseolo's suit to the Duchess that he be 
dismissed from court in order to escape meeting women 
is based apparently upon Gondarino's suing the Duke for 
justice because Oriana has invaded his house, The Woman 
Hater, II, 1. In this scene (p. 556) as well as in V, 3 
(p. 606), Orseolo is called a "woman hater." For the use 
of the term, see Captain Underwit, IV, 3, The Captain, 
dramatis persona, The Picture, II, 2, The Guardian, I, 1. 
There is also a resemblance to Gondarino's suggestions as 
to his punishment, The Woman Hater, V, 5. 

Act III, Sc. 1. The playing of Laura and Giotto on the 
ambition of Volterre suggests Maria and Sir Toby with 
Malvolio, Twelfth Night, II, 5. Volterre 's dancing, at 
their request, to show his agility, recalls Sir Andrew Ague- 
cheek, ibid,, I, 3. Cf. also Valerio, All Fools, II, 1, Lurdo, 
Law Tricks, III, [1], and note Venture's singing in Hyde 
Park, IV, 3, and the Cripple and Barnard concerning 
Bowdler, The Fair Maid of the Exchange, p. 53. See also 



284 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

IV, 2, of the present play. The instructions for his court- 
ship which Giotto and Comachio agree to give to Depazzi 
are suggestive of the School of Compliment, Love Tricks, 
III, 5. See also Every Man out of his Humor, V, 1. For 
"rotten in my head" (p. 567) see under Captain Under- 
wit, III, 3. For Contarini's suggesting to Giotto that he 
debauch Carintha, see under The Doubtful Heir, IV, 1, 
and The Gentleman of Venice, IV, 3. 

Sc. 2. Cf. the visit of Laura and Carintha to Orseolo 
with that of Oriana and her Waiting-woman to Gondarino, 
The Woman Hater, II, 2. On entering, Orseolo makes an 
attack on women, as does Gondarino, although the latter 
has no long speech. Orseolo 's real character as indicated 
in his orders to Sancho (p. 573) may be related to the 
Duke's suspicions of Gondarino 's misogyny, ibid. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. For Depazzi 's speech to the Duchess, 
see under II, 2, and cf. the compliments, Love Tricks, 
III, 5. Note the "oration" delivered by Carol, Hyde 
Park, III, 2. Cf. also Sogliardo and Saviolina, Every 
Man out of his Humor, V, 2. See How a Man May Choose 
a Good Wife from a Bad, p. 19, and note Gridonell's court- 
ship of Amadine, The Platonic Lovers, II, 1 (1635), to 
which Sciolto listens in horror as does Comachio. For 
Depazzi 's reference to the "black guard" (p. 575) see 
The Triumph of Peace, p. 280. Note, for keeping the 
door at masques, Hornet, The Constant Maid, IV, 3. For 
Hercules as a "pedlar" (p. 577), cf. The Picture, III, 6 
(played 1629; printed 1630). For allusions to Hercules' 
amorous adventures, note also The Opportunity, II, 1, The 
Malcontent, IV, 5, A Woman is a Weathercock, III, 3, The 
Little French Lawyer, III, 3, A Challenge for Beauty, 
III, 1, The Platonic Lovers, V, 1. For Giotto's allusion 
to the remora (p. 578), cf. The Variety, IV, 1, The 
Poetaster, III, 1, The Magnetic Lady, II, 1, The Witch, 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 285 

I, 2, A Fair Quarrel, I, 1, Appius and Virginia, III, 4 (as 
"iper"), The City Match, III, 2. See Howell's Familiar 
Letters, I, 175. Depazzi's offer of a monopoly to Giotto 
(p. 579) is a satire on a contemporary evil. The name 
of the German painter mentioned by Orseolo (p. 580) — 
Shadan Wierex — would seem to be an anagram upon the 
name of some foreign painter in London in 1631. Van 
Somer, Jannsens, Mytens the Elder, Rubens, and Van 
Dyke, beside many other foreign artists, spent more or less 
time in England during the reigns of James I and 
Charles I. Rubens was knighted in 1630, and Van Dyke, 
in 1632. See also The Lady of Pleasure, I, 1, II, 1, The 
Ball, III, 3, and Dialogue, Poems, VI, 459 ff. For the 
disclosure of Orseolo 's secret debauchery, cf. Castruchio, 
The Cruel Brother, IV, 1 (with Dorido's aside), and note 
Gondarino, The Woman Hater, III, 1. For Giotto's sus- 
picions of Orseolo (p. 583), cf. the Duke, The Woman 
Hater, II, 1. For Orseolo 's comment on court-prefer- 
ment (p. 582), cf. V, 1, and see under Love's Crueltv, 
1,2. 

Sc. 2. For the mutual misunderstanding of each other 
by Volterre and Depazzi, see under Chap. IV, Sect. 27. 
Analogues to the allusion to "Don Diego," which Gifford 
notes as paralleled in Beaumont and Fletcher, are met 
with in Sir Thomas Wyat, p. 45, The Captain, III, 3, and 
The Maid in the Mill, II, 1. See under III, 1, for Vol- 
terre 's practicing figures (p. 589). 

Sc. 3. For Contarini's introduction of Giotto to his 
wife, Carintha, see under The Gentleman of Venice, IV, 3. 
Note also The Grateful Servant, IV, 1. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Cf. the merriness of Carintha and Con- 
tarini 's construction of it with Piero 's melancholy as noted 
by Lodwick, The Grateful Servant, V, 1. Note Mrs. 
Wilding and Wilding, The Gamester, IV, 1. For Con- 



tarini's thinking himself a cuckold, see under The Gentle- 
man of Venice, V, 2, and note Chap. IV, Sect. 25. 

Sc. 2. Cf. Depazzi at his toilet with Lord A., The 
Lady of Pleasure, III, 1. For Depazzi 's day-dreams, see 
under The Royal Master, III, 3. Cf. his promising to 
make Crispino a judge with Don Quixote and Sancho, Don 
Quixote, Part I, Chap. VII. Depazzi 's desiring a mode 
of death to his taste is used in St. Patrick for Ireland, V, 1. 
The discussion of the killing of Carintha by Contarini and 
Giotto has parallels in the later Constant Maid, II, 2, and 
Honoria and Mammon, III, 3. An analogue is found 
earlier in The Witty Fair One, III, 4. See also The Fair 
Maid of Bristow, III, 1, and Volpone, I, 1. 

Sc. 3. For the baffling of foolish suitors, cf. Hyde 
Park, I, 1, The Ball, III, 2, IV, 2. For the revelations of 
folly or criminality, and the rebukes of the Duchess, see 
Cynthia's Revels, V, 3, Volpone, V, 8, Michaelmas Term, 
V, 3, The Phoenix, V, 1. The taming of Orseolo recalls 
The Woman Hater, V, 5. For the mention of Orseolo as 
a "woman hater," cf. II, 2. For Depazzi 's satire on ris- 
ing at court (p. 609), cf. IV, 1, and see Love's Cruelty, 
I, 2. For the Duke's (or Giotto's) affirmation of Ca- 
rintha 's chastity, see under The Gentleman of Venice, V, 2. 

V. The Bird in a Cage 

There is no entry of The Bird in a Cage in Herbert's 
Officebook. However, it may very reasonably be consid- 
ered identical with The Beauties which was licensed Janu- 
ary 21, 1632-33. The Beauties would be as appropriate a 
title for the play as that which it bears; and in I, 1 
(p. 375) the word "beauties" is applied to the ladies at- 
tendant upon Eugenia. The date of printing of the play 
(entered March 19, 1632-33, and printed 1633) and its 
ferociously ironical dedication to Prynne would seem to 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 287 

indicate that the original Beauties was renamed with par- 
ticular reference to the imprisonment of that unfortunate 
Puritan for his seeming reflections on the Queen in His- 
triomastix (see Fleay, Biog. Chron., II, 239-40; Collier, 
Hist. Eng. Dram. Poet., II, 39 ff.). The Bird in a Cage 
seems to be mentioned in Dr. Smith's Ballad, in Musarum 
Deliciae (Mennis and Smith's Facetiae, I, 91). Novel 
LXXIII, Les Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles, is called L'oiseau 
en la Cage. There is no resemblance between the story 
and the play, however. 

The plot of The Bird in a Cage runs as follows: 
Eugenia, Princess of Mantua, loves the exiled Philenzo. 
Her father, who wishes to marry her to a Florentine prince, 
builds a castle in which he confines her with her ladies so 
that she may not be carried off by Philenzo or any other 
suitor of inferior rank. Guards are posted about the castle 
to prevent the ingress of any unauthorized person. Rol- 
liardo, an eccentric, appears at court. As the result of 
his eulogizing the power of money, the Duke wagers him 
that, although given all the money he wants, he cannot 
obtain access to Eugenia within a month. In case he fails, 
Rolliardo must forfeit his head. Dondolo, Grutti, and 
Morello, three courtiers, by the aid of a quack (a painter, 
Bonamico, in disguise), who pretends to possess a recipe 
for invisibility, attempt to enter the castle but succeed 
only in being gulled. Disguised as a woman, Morello tries 
then to enter the castle, but is discovered and sentenced to 
wear his disguise for a month. Rolliardo attempts to 
bribe the guards, but finds them incorruptible. In despair, 
he employs his funds in obtaining the freedom of various 
poor prisoners, among whom is Bonamico. As a return 
for Rolliardo 's bounty, he devises a plan for entering the 
castle. He prepares a cage in which he places a collection 
of birds. These, by direction of the Duke, he takes to 



288 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Eugenia. As she and her companions are performing an 
extemporaneous play, the cage is carried in. When the 
Princess is alone, Rolliardo emerges from a pillar in the 
center of the cage, and, first as Rolliardo, and then as the 
Prince of Florence, makes love to Eugenia who repulses 
him. He discloses himself then to be Philenzo. The two 
go to court. To the Duke's dismay, Eugenia proclaims 
her love for Rolliardo. The Duke, at this, upbraids her 
for having forgotten Philenzo. Rolliardo reveals his iden- 
tity, and is sentenced to death. Letters from the Duke 
of Florence arrive in which he announces that he has 
given up the match between his son and Eugenia, because 
of the pre-contract of the last with Philenzo. The order 
for Rolliardo 's execution is countermanded, but it is re- 
ported that he has poisoned himself. His body is brought 
in. The Duke laments his hastiness, whereupon Rolliardo, 
who has merely taken a sleeping-potion, awakes, and re- 
ceives Eugenia as wife. 

The Bird in a Cage is based apparently upon the main 
plot of Women Pleased. Certain incidents are omitted, 
and others are altered, but enough similarity remains to 
indicate pretty clearly a use of Fletcher's play. Shirley's 
comedy is very much simpler in plot than Women Pleased. 
Shirley's Eugenia = Fletcher 's Belvidere; Rolliardo (Phil- 
enzo) = Silvio; the Duke of Mantua = the Duchess of 
Florence ; Perenotto = Bartello ; Morello, Dondolo, and 
Grutti = Claudio and Soto (not in characterization, as to 
Claudio) ; Bonamico = Penurio. 

Shirley's Rolliardo is very reminiscent of Marston's 
Altofronto (under the name of Malevole) in The Malcon- 
tent and Hercules in The Fawn. They are all in disguise 
and all indulge in more or less bitter raillery on prevalent 
abuses. Cf. also Feliche in Antonio and Mellida. It is 
perhaps no more than a coincidence that Marston's plays 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 



289 



(with the exception of The Malcontent and The Insatiate 
Countess) were printed in 1633, the year of the publication 
of The Bird in a Cage. Railing characters more or less 
similar are Barker, the discredited cynic of The Ball 
(1632), Diogenes in Campaspe, La Busse in The Distracted 
Emperor, Ther sites in The Iron Age, Parts I, II (printed 
1632), Lemot in An Humorous Day's Mirth, Tharsalio in 
The Widow's Tears, Downright in Every Man in his 
Humor, Crito in Cynthia's Revels, Arruntius in Sejanus, 
Pennyboy Canter in The Staple of News, Acutus in Every 
Woman in her Humor, Vendice in The Eevenger's Trag- 
edy, Thersites in Troilus and Cressida, Casca in Julius 
Caesar, Apemantus in Timon of Athens, Menenius in Corio- 
lanus, Octavio in Humor out of Breath, Bosola in The 
Duchess of Main, Cordolente in Match Me in London, 
Rhetias in The Lover's Melancholy (1628), Roseilli in 
Love's Sacrifice (1630), Romanello and Spadone in The 
Fancies Chaste and Noble (1635), Andrugio in The 
Swisser (1631), Snarl in Holland's Leaguer (1632). Cer- 
tain of these characters approach very closely the blunt 
type of the Fletcherian soldier (Mardonius, for example), 
but the fact that they are not of the military profession 
makes possible a clear distinction of a sort between the two 
classes of character. 

For Dondolo, Grutti, and Morello, the foolish courtiers, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 44. Note that Dondolo is the name of 
a "bald fool" in The Malcontent. Cf. Balurdo and Cas- 
tilio in Antonio and Mellida, and Pelias and Cuculus in 
The Lover's Melancholy, especially. For Bonamieo as a 
quack with his servant, Carlo, see under The Maid's Re- 
venge, III, 2. 

Cf. with the dedication for other references by Shirley 
to Prynne, the commendatory verses prefixed to Love's 
Sacrifice, and The Nightwalker, III, 3, 4. Other allusions 



290 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

to this author and to Histriomastix occur in The Magnetic 
Lady, I, 1, III, 4, The Sad Shepherd, I, 2, The Floating 
Island, I, 2, III, 8 (1636), The City Match, II, 1, 2 (1639), 
the dedications to The English Traveller, A Maidenhead 
Well Lost, and Love's Sacrifice, Heywood's Prologue to 
their Sacred Majesties at Hampton Court (Plays, VI, 342), 
and R. C.'s commendatory verses to The Queen. 

Act I, Sc. 1. For Morello's "amorous lock" (p. 372), 
see under The Humorous Courtier, II, 2. The confinement 
of Eugenia to avoid a match with Philenzo is derived from 
Belvidere 's being placed in the citadel to prevent her ab- 
duction by the Duke of Milan, Women Pleased, I, 1, II, 5 
(reported). Both ladies are designed for other husbands 
— Eugenia for the Prince of Florence and Belvidere for 
the Duke of Siena. Cf. Shirley's Duke of Mantua's call- 
ing his daughter a "treasure" (p. 373) to be hidden "safe 
from the robber" with Bartello's description of Belvidere, 
as a "jewel" sent to the castle "to secure her" (ibid., I, 1). 
For the latter, "all convenient pleasures are there propor- 
tion 'd" (ibid.) as for Eugenia "every day shall strive to 
bring . . . fresh rarities" (p. 373). For other cases of 
imprisonment, cf. The Malcontent, I, 4 (mentioned), and 
The Isle of Gulls, I, 1. Note the Princesses in The Ar- 
cadia. Cf. the story of Danae and Acrisius (The Golden 
Age, IV, 1) which is the subject of the play presented, 
IV, 2, following, and which is alluded to by Rolliardo (p. 
381) and by the Duke (p. 401). Note The Imposture, I, 2, 
as a variation. 

For Rolliardo 's satire upon court corruption, see under 
Love's Cruelty, I, 2. The Duke's wager with Rolliardo 
seems based upon the riddle propounded by the Duchess of 
Florence to Silvio, Women Pleased, II, 5. In the Fletch- 
erian play, if Silvio does not solve the riddle within a year 
he is to be executed, while in The Bird in a Cage, Rolliardo 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 291 

has a month in which to gain entrance to Eugenia's cham- 
ber and the forfeit for failure is his life. For incidents 
more or less parallel, see The Merchant of Venice, I, 2, II, 1, 
7, 9, III, 2, Pericles, I, 1, The Parliament of Love, II, 1 
(the time-limit here in which the wager is to be won is a 
month). 10 

Act II, Sc. 1. For Bonamico as a quack, or mountebank, 
see under The Maid's Revenge, III, 2. For his claims, see 
The Puritan, IV, 2, as a source. For Bonamico 's eaves- 
dropping here, cf. Ill, 4, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. Cf. 
Rolliardo's references to the "monsters," etc., exhibited in 
Elizabethan times (and our own, as well) with similar allu- 
sions in The Duke's Mistress, II, 1, The Constant Maid, 

I, 2 (a repetition), Shirley's Fairing (in Poems, VI, 
412-13), Every Man out of his Humor, IV, 4, V, 4, Vol- 
pone, V, 2, The Alchemist, V, 1, Sir Giles Goosecap, I, 1, 
Ram Alley, IV, 1, The Winter's Tale, IV, 4, The Tempest, 

II, 2, Henry VIII, V, 4, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, 

III, 2, Believe as You List, IV, 3, Covent Garden, II, 2, 
The City Match, III, 1 (1639), Wit in a Constable, V, 1 
(1639). 

Rolliardo's unsuccessful attempt at bribing Perenotto 
and the guards is based probably on Silvio's trying to 
wheedle Bartello into admitting him to the citadel, Women 
Pleased, I, 1. Note also Silvio and Rodope, ibid., II, 1. 
Cf. Perenotto 's incorruptibility with that of the Captain, 
The Malcontent, V, 1. For Rolliardo's ill-success in his 
first attempt at gaining ingress to the castle, note besides 
Women Pleased, Clarindore's failure in his first attempt at 
winning his wager, The Parliament of Love, II, 3. Note 
a reference to the plays of The Invisible Knight, and The 
Ring (identified by Dodsley with The Two Merry Milk- 

io For the expression "on the ticket," as referring to indebtedness, 
cf. II, 1, and see under The Ball, IV, 1. 



maids). For genuine invisibility, see St. Patrick for Ire- 
land, III, 2, IV, 1, 2, V, 1. Cf. Rolliardo's jeering the 
gulls (p. 400) (in III, 1, as well as here) and the Duke's 
jeering him (p. 401 ff.) with Altofronto, The Malcontent, 

I, 2, 3. Note also The Parliament of Love, III, 1, and see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 20. For Kolliardo's lines on true nobility 
(pp. 402-3) see under The Royal Master, III, 3. In this 
speech, he refers to Shylock, and the pound of flesh in The 
Merchant of Venice (IV, 1?). Cf. Rolliardo's laying aside 
his assumed eccentricity to speak to Fulvio (pp. 403-4) 
with Rhetias' similar action, The Lover's Melancholy, II, 1, 
IV, 2. Note Fulvio 's relations with Rolliardo as parallel- 
ing those of Celso with Altofronto in The Malcontent. 

Act III, Sc. 1. Morello's attempt to enter the prison in 
woman's dress, and his capture by the guard seem to have 
been suggested by Women Pleased, II, 2, 3. In the first 
scene is a dialogue between two soldiers, and in the second 
the capture of Silvio in Belvidere's apartment. Shirley 
has made broad farce of the scene. For the guards' mak- 
ing love to Morello as a woman, see Chap. IV, Sect. 7. 

Sc. 2. 11 For Rolliardo's allusion to Rosiclere and the 
Donzel del Phebo, see under The Maid's Revenge, I, 2. 
For the ballad of the Devil and the Baker, cf. Hyde Park, 

II, 4. For the "invisibility" of Bonamico, see under II, 1, 
and cf. The Puritan, IV, 2. Cf. Rolliardo's jeering the 
gulled courtiers in his turn with Clarindore and those who 
had formerly jeered him, The Parliament of Love, IV, 5. 
See also Chap. IV, Sect. 20, and cf. II, 1. 

Sc. 3. For the planning the acting of a play by the im- 
prisoned ladies, cf. A Midsummer Night's Dream, I, 2, 
Histriomastix, IV, 1 (the play), and note Falstaff's sug- 
gestion as to a " play extempore, ' ' Henry IV, Part I, II, 4. 

ii For the use of "figary" (p. 411), cf. Ill, 2, see under The Ball, 

rv, 2, 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 293 

The acting of this "play" by the ladies, as here planned, 
and as shown in IV, 2, is based doubtless upon the presen- 
tation at court by the Queen and her ladies of Montague's 
Shepherds' Paradise, January 8, 1633, thirteen days before 
the licensing of The Bird in a Cage (or The Beauties) 
(Fleay, Stage, pp. 315, 318). Even if Shirley did not 
insert these two scenes after January 8, the presentation 
of the play by the noble actresses was doubtless no secret 
for some time before. At that, they may have been added 
to the original draft of The Bird in a Cage. There are 
six female characters in the play, so that would tend to 
show an especial effort on Shirley's part toward the intro- 
duction of the interlude. We may suppose that the 
Queen's Men carried regularly only three or four "female 
actors" at most, and that others were engaged especially 
for this play (if the interlude was acted). The above 
theory is practically established by Shirley's calling 
Prynne's attention in the dedication to the acting of the 
"interlude" by ladies. It is worth noticing that the little 
play is only episodic and is merely set in the body of the 
comedy. As to female actresses in England, allusions occur 
in The Ball, V, 1, and The Court Beggar, V, 2 (1640) 
(where Philomel imitates a player). The Queen spoke the 
prologue to Love's Mistress, November 19, 1634. La Pas- 
torale de Florimene was presented before the Queen by 
les filles frangaises de la Reine, December 21, 1635 (Fleay, 
Stage, p. 319). A French company with actresses was 
licensed November 4, 1629, to play at the Blackfriars, at 
the Red Bull, November 22, and at the Fortune, Decem- 
ber 14 (ibid., p. 334). According to the same authority, 
The Lady Errant was performed before the Queen at Black- 
friars in 1632 with women taking the female parts (ibid., 
p. 344). It is interesting to note that Mendoza's Amor 
con amor se paga was acted at the Spanish court by the 



294 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Queen's maids of honor who took the male as well as the 
female parts (Ticknor, Hist. Span. Lit., II, 319). The 
eagerness of Fidelia and Cassiana for parts recalls, as 
Gifford notes, Bottom's selection of his part in the play, 
A Midsummer Night's Dream, I, 2. Cf. the rehearsal, 
Histriomastix, IV, 1. 

Sc. 4. For Bonamico's eavesdropping, note II, 1, and 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. For Bonamico's quotation from 
the Induction to The Spanish Tragedy, see under The Con- 
stant Maid, I, 1. Cf. Rolliardo's reference to the basket 
in which poor prisoners received their food with similar 
allusions in The Alchemist, I, 1, Eastward Ho, V, 1, The 
Widow, III, 1, If This Be not a Good Play, the Devil Is 
in It, p. 355, Greene's Tu Quoque, p. 541, The City Madam, 
I, 1 (noted by Gifford), A New Wonder: A Woman Never 
Vexed, IV, 1 (a prisoner is shown begging at the prison 
gate). 

Act IV, Sc. 1. Morello's acting as court-jester seems to 
have been utilized for Comastus in H. Killigrew's Con- 
spiracy (1634). Note Autolycus' song in The Winter's 
Tale, IV, 4, in connection with Gifford 's note to Morello's 
song (p. 424). In the course of his exhibition of the birds 
Bonamico refers to events or persons more or less con- 
temporary. Similar extended allusions are found in The 
Example, IV, 1, and The Virgin Widow, IV, 1. His refer- 
ence to Bethlem Gabor is paralleled in The Opportunity, 
I, 1, The Ball, I, 1, the prologue to Volpone, The Staple 
of News, III, 1, Aristippus, p. 29, and see Howell's Fa- 
miliar Letters, I, 236. Other references are to the Turks 
and Venetians, the death of Count Gondomar, Spinola, 
the siege of Bergen, and the Dunkirk privateers. For the 
allusions to Gondomar and Spinola, cf. The Staple of 
News, III, 1 ; and for the former, see A Game at Chess. 

Sc. 2. See under III, 3. The play within the play in 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 295 

various forms occurs in The Spanish Tragedy, IV, 3, Sir 
Thomas More, IV, 1, James IV, Alphonsus, King of Arra- 
gon, The Old Wives' Tale, A Midsummer Night's Dream, 
III, 1, V, 1, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, III, 2, The 
Mayor of Queenborough, V, 1, A Mad World, My Masters, 
V, 2, The Spanish Gipsy, IV, 3, The Downfall of Robert, 
Earl of Huntington, The Death of Robert, Earl of Hunt- 
ington, Histriomastix, II, 1, The Travails of the Three 
English Brothers, p. 62, Four Plays in One, The Knight of 
the Burning Pestle, The Roman Actor, II, 1, III, 4, IV, 2, 
The Muses' Looking-glass, II, etc. (1634), The Conspiracy, 
II, 1 (1634), Love's Mistress (1634), Lady Alimony, II, 1, 
etc. (1635), The Fool Would Be a Favorite, V (1638), The 
Antipodes (1638), The Jovial Crew, V (1640). 12 Note 
that a masque occurs in Women Pleased, V, 3. 

The prologue in conventional style contains a mention 
of the title (see Chap. IV, Sect. 31). This version of the 
story of Danae may be a parody on The Golden Age, IV, 1, 
which treats the same myth. For the verses of the ladies, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 22. For Catherina's satiric comments 
on contemporary poetry (p. 432), cf. The Maid's Revenge, 

I, 2, The Royal Master, II, 1, The Humorous Courtier, 

II, 2, The Wedding, III, 2, Love in a Maze, II, 2, IV, 2, 
Every Man in his Humor, V, 1, Love's Mistress, I, 1, II, 1 
(1634). Donella in her criticism (p. 433) seems to allude 
to the punishment of Crispinus, The Poetaster, V, 1. As 
Mardona's verses are bombastic and rough, it may be that 
here Shirley was parodying Marston (Crispinus), although 
the " poetry" of some of Shirley's contemporaries pre- 
sented as good a subject for burlesque. 

Rolliardo's method of entering the castle suggests the 
way in which Flores penetrates into the palace of the 

12 Certain of the plays with inductions have been omitted as hardly 
being analogous to the play within a play. 



296 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Admiral of Babylon in which Blauncheflore is confined, 
Flores and Blauncheflore. See under The Wedding, IV, 4. 
Note also Gerardine 's entering Maria 's chamber in a trunk, 
The Family of Love, II, 4, and the numerous analogues to 
that device in continental prose fiction. Silvio's stolen 
visit to Belvidere, Women Pleased, II, 3, doubtless is at the 
bottom of the scene. Schipper suggests that a novel was 
the source for Rolliardo's device (James Shirley, p. 84). 
For Rolliardo's two tests of Eugenia, see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. 
Cf. Eugenia's resistance of his advances with Maria, The 
Malcontent, V, 2, and cf . Rolliardo 's revealing himself with 
Altofronto (Malevole), The Malcontent, IV, 5. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Gifford notes an allusion to Archie Arm- 
strong, the King's jester (pp. 441-42). Note the double 
rhymes in Morello's song. Rolliardo's winning the wager 
corresponds to Silvio's solving the riddle, Women Pleased, 
V, 1. Note that neither performs his task unassisted. For 
the use of the title in the text, cf. I, 1 ("Beauties") IV, 2 
(prologue to the interlude), and see Chap. IV, Sect. 31. 
For the anger of the Duke at Rolliardo's success, and at 
Eugenia's love for him, cf. the Viceroy, A Very Woman, 
V, 4 (earlier date?). Note that there orders are given 
first for Antonio's torture as for Rolliardo's and then for 
the death of the former as for that of the latter. Cf. Eu- 
genia's prayers for the life of Rolliardo with Belvidere 's 
pleadings, Women Pleased, II, 5. The Duke's telling 
Eugenia that she should have married Rolliardo (or Phil- 
enzo) had he lived, the discovery of his having taken a 
sleeping-draught instead of poison, and the Duke's consent 
to his and Eugenia's marriage are paralleled closely in 
Antonio and Mellida, V, and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, 
V, 4. In the latter play the man and woman are both 
thought dead; in the former, as in the present scene, only 
the man is supposed dead. See also The Costly Whore, 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 297 

V, 1 (printed 1633). For the use of the sleeping draught 
as a poison, see Chap. IV, Sect. 13, but note The Arcadia, 
V, 2. See Chap. IV, Sect. 29, for Rolliardo's revival. 
The revocation of Rolliardo's sentence and his reconcilia- 
tion with the Duke recall Silvio's being received back into 
favor, Women Pleased, V, 1. Cf. also A Very Woman, 
V,6. 

VI. The Opportunity 

The Opportunity is an adaptation of El Castigo del 
Penseque 13 by Tirso de Molina, as Stiefel shows (Ro- 
manische Forschungen, V, 193 ff.). 14 Of course, in the 
light of Stiefel's researches, the relating of the play to 
The Comedy of Errors, as Halliwell (Diet, of 0. E. Plays, 
p. 185) and others have done, does not stand. 
A summary of The Opportunity follows: 
Aurelio Androzzi of Milan and his friend, Pisauro, come 
to Urbino. The former is mistaken for Borgia, a gentle- 
man banished for slaying the brother of Ursini, the 
Duchess' favorite. Aurelio assumes the identity thrust 
upon him, deceiving even Mercutio, Borgia's father, and 
Cornelia, his sister. The Duchess, who pardons him for 
the murder, makes him her secretary. Both she and Cor- 
nelia are attracted by the false Borgia, and he by them, 
but he hesitates between them, and tries to make sure of 
both. He confesses his identity to the Duchess, mistaking 
her for Cornelia. She leads him on and plays with him. 
Finally the Duke of Ferrara, a suitor to the Duchess, who 
has been at Urbino in disguise wins her, while Cornelia re- 
fuses both Aurelio and Pisauro and accepts Ursini, her con- 
is Tirso's play is in turn from La Ocasion Perdida of Lope de Vega, 
i* The following section is based both upon an independent ex- 
amination of the Spanish play and upon Stiefel's article as cited 
above. 



298 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

stant lover. The play develops through the opportunities 
which Aurelio has of securing one lady or the other which 
are lost because of his vacillation between the two and his 
attempts to make sure of both. The comic relief is fur- 
nished by Pimponio, Aurelio 's servant, who presents him- 
self at court as the Duke of Ferrara and thereby comes to 
grief. 

As usual Shirley has departed from his source in a num- 
ber of instances, altering incidents, omitting others, and 
adding still others. He has transplanted the action from 
Flanders to more romantic Italy. Tirso's military element 
has been omitted, and the denouement of the play has been 
altered (for the better). The comic scenes in The Oppor- 
tunity are Shirley's. As regards the characters (which 
have been all re-named), Shirley's Duke of Ferrara = 
Tirso's Casimiro; Aurelio = Roderigo ; Ursini = Pinabel ; 
Mercutio = Liberio ; Pimponio = Chinchilla ; the Duchess 
of Urbino = Diana ; Cornelia = Clavela. Shirley's Lucio, 
Pietro, and Julio correspond roughly to Leonelo and Ro- 
berto in the Spanish comedy. While Shirley has not used 
Tirso's Floro and Lucretia, he has added Pisauro, Melinda, 
and Laura (who is mentioned at the end of El Castigo), 
besides Grutti and Ascanio, two comic characters. Shirley 
makes Mercutio a comic figure (see Chap. IV, Sect. 43), 
even introducing him in a scene in which he takes the part 
of Tirso's Chinchilla in the corresponding scene in the 
Spanish play. While most of the alterations in the action 
are not essentially important, they are numerous enough 
to show The Opportunity to be more than a mere para- 
phrase of El Castigo del Penseque. 

The Duke of Ferrara in disguise at the Mantuan court, 
while drawn from the Spanish, recalls the Duke of Parma 
as Giotto in The Humorous Courtier. Aurelio as an am- 
bitious lover brings to mind Cesario in The Fair Maid of 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 299 

the Inn. Aurelio 's friend, Pisauro, is a first draft for 
Horatio in The Duke's Mistress (see also Chap. IV, Sect. 
39). Shirley's Mereutio, the ambitious old father, is the 
comic counterpart of the later Cassander in The Corona- 
tion. Ursini seems the original of Lisimachus in that 
play (note especially The Coronation, III, '2). Cf. the 
innkeeper, Grutti (who is Shirley's) with Diego in Love's 
Pilgrimage, Verone in An Humorous Day's Mirth, The 
Vintner in The Queen of Corinth, and with the Hosts in 
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merry Wives of Wind- 
sor, The Merry Devil of Edmonton, Fortune by Land and 
Sea, The Royal King and Loyal Subject, The Captain, 
The Fair Maid of the Inn, The New Inn, A New Wonder : 
A Woman never Vexed, and The London Chanticleers 
(1637). Note the Host's Ghost in The Lovers' Progress. 
For Ascanio, Grutti 's son, cf. the pages (Chap. IV, Sect. 
48). Cf. Pimponio, the servant of Aurelio, with Chin- 
chilla in El Castigo, and with the clowns (Chap. IV, 
Sect. 46). 

Act I, Sc. 1. From El Castigo, I, 1, 2, 3, 4. The differ- 
ence in scene between the Spanish and English plays has 
been noted. In Tirso, Rodrigo is accompanied only by 
his servant, whereas Pisauro is with Aurelio and Pimponio. 
Rodrigo is accosted by no one, not even by Roberto who 
spies him first, while three persons greet Aurelio as Borgia, 
before Mereutio appears. Only Mereutio comes to meet his 
supposed son, while in Tirso he is accompanied by his 
household. During the scene, Aurelio is prompted by 
Pisauro, not by the servant, as in El Castigo. Mereutio 
informs Pisauro concerning his son's banishment, but in 
the Spanish play Lucretia, a servant, relates the story 
to Chinchilla. Note The Comedy of Errors, I, 2, etc., 
for confusion of persons. For the reference to Beth- 
lem Gabor (p. 374), see under The Bird in a Cage, IV, 1, 



300 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

and for the quotation (p. 376) from The Spanish Tragedy, 
II, 1, see under The Constant Maid, I, 1, and cf. The Poli- 
tician, III, 2 (Gifford suggests for the quotation a source 
in Watson's Hekatompathia, or in The Paradise of Dainty 
Devices). 

Sc. 2. From El Castigo, I, 8, 11. Aurelio and Pisauro 
arrive at court on the Duchess' invitation — a difference 
from the Spanish. Ursini's asking for Borgia's pardon 
from the Duchess (from Tirso, I, 8) furnishes a partial 
source for a speech of the Cardinal's, The Cardinal, IV, 2. 
For Ursini as the lover of the sister of the slayer of his 
brother (from El Castigo), see under The Court Secret, 
V, 1. For the Duchess' falling in love with Aurelio, see 
under The Doubtful Heir, II, 4. There is no outward 
manifestation of Diana's state of mind at this point in 
El Castigo besides her making Don Rodrigo her secretary. 
The falling in love of Aurelio and Cornelia is from Tirso. 
Cf. also the supposed brother and sister in love in A King 
and No King, III, 1, IV, 4 (note under The Court Secret, 
I, 1, parallels to the brother and sister in love, who are 
ignorant of their relationship). Aurelio 's putting off 
Ursini's suit for Cornelia on the plea that his friend, 
1 ' Aurelio, ' ' had fallen in love with her picture, and that he 
had promised her to that person is from El Castigo, I, 11. 
For falling in love with a lady's picture, see under The 
Grateful Servant, I, 1, and for the brother's providing a 
suitor for his sister, note The Maid's Revenge, I, 1, 2. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Shirley's scene. Eckhardt (Die Lustige 
Person, p. 398) relates Pimponio's taking possession of his 
master's belongings and his assuming princely rank with 
Juniper in The Case is Altered, IV, 4, V, 2, 4. As Koeppel 
says, the resemblance is not striking (Ben Jonson's 
Wirkung, p. 127, note) . For Pimponio's posing as a prince 
here and in III, 1, IV, 1, see under The Imposture, II, 3. 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 301 

Note also Castruccio, The Double Marriage, III, 2, V, 1, 
and Vertigo, The Maid in the Mill, III, 2, as well as the 
genuine Spanish prince, Pharamond in Philaster, I, 1, 2, 

II, 2, 4. The passage (p. 392) from "I am too sober" to 
"Fifty trumpets" inclusive recalls the lines of Valen- 
tine "Then bring thy wife along . . . ," Wit Without 
Money, V, 2. For the allusion to Hercules' exploits, see 
under The Maid 's Revenge, I, 2, and The Humorous Court- 
ier, IV, 1. 

Sc. 2. For the conversation of Julio and Lucio, regard- 
ing Aurelio's rise in favor (which is Shirley's), see under 
The Doubtful Heir, IV, 1. For their eavesdropping (p. 
393 ff.), and that in II, 3, V, 2, following, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 30. The conversation of Urbini and the Duke which 
they overhear is based on El Castigo, III, 12, in which 
Pinabel betrays the feelings of Diana toward Rodrigo 
to Casimiro. Shirley, however, makes the Duke's sus- 
picions arise from his own observation and not from Ursini, 
while in the Spanish play, Pinabel suggests to Casimiro 
that Rodrigo is his rival. It should be noted that this 
scene occupies a different place from the corresponding 
one in El Castigo. 

Sc. 3. With slight variations from El Castigo, II, 6, 7, 
8, 10, 11. Scenes more or less paralleling this one as to 
setting are Romeo and Juliet, II, 2, Blurt, Master-Con- 
stable, III, 1, IV, 1, The Family of Love, I, 2, III, 2, The 
Two Angry Women of Abington, III, 2, The Poetaster, IV, 
6, The Dutch Courtesan, II, 1, The Insatiate Countess, III, 
A Christian Turned Turk, p. 229, Wit at Several Weapons, 

III, 1, The Just Italian, IV, 1, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, I, 
2, The Antiquary, II, 1 (1636) (certain of these scenes 
are broadly comic). Shirley has omitted Chinchilla's part 
in the scene, there is no rejoicing on the part of the Duke 
audible after his happy departure, no meeting at the win- 



dow between the Duchess and Cornelia, and the Duchess 
as Cornelia does not request Aurelio still to treat her as 
a sister. With these exceptions, the two scenes correspond 
very closely. The confusion of identities (which here is 
from El Castigo) had been employed by Shirley in The 
Maid's Revenge, III, 5, etc., The Brothers, IV, 3, etc., 
and The Witty Fair One, IV, 6, etc. Note also V, 1, fol- 
lowing. 

Act III, Sc. 1. Shirley's addition. Cf. Grutti and 
Ascanio (pp. 404-5) with Verone, An Humorous Day's 
Mirth, p. 34. Ascanio 's disguise as a Swiss is drawn from 
the Page's masquerade as "Ancient Petarre," The Game- 
ster, IV, 1. Note also the Duke of Sesse and his followers 
in The Double Marriage, and Aribert in The Swisser as 
a Swiss. A Swiss is a character in The Blind Beggar of 
Bednal Green, I. See Eckhardt, Auslandertypen (Ma- 
terialien, XXXII), pp. 79-80, on Swiss characters in the 
drama. See under Love Tricks. Gifford says that the al- 
lusions to Ascanio in disguise as a "High German" relate 
to a gigantic German master of fence then in London. 
Allusions to perhaps the same person occur in The Maid's 
Revenge, III, 1, The Wedding, IV, 3, The Witty Fair One, 
V, 2, The Variety, III, 1, The Knight of the Burning 
Pestle, III, 2 (a "great Dutchman"), The Roaring Girl, 
II, 1, The Noble Soldier, II, 1 (see Bullen, Works of Mid- 
dleton, IV, 46, note). Gifford notes also a reference (p. 
407) to the victories of Gustavus Adolphus (who had been 
killed two years before The Opportunity was presented). 

Sc. 2. Shirley's scene. Mercutio's pride in his sup- 
posed son's favor at court is shown again in IV, 1. Cf. 
Overreach concerning Margaret and Lovell, A New Way 
to Pay Old Debts, V, 1. 

Sc. 3. Pisauro's accusing Cornelia of looking too favor- 
ably upon her "brother" is Shirley's. The scene follow- 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 303 

ing in which the Duchess leads Aurelio on is based on El 
Castigo, III, 5, 6, 7, 8. In Shirley's scene the business with 
the glove does not occur. Note as more or less analogous 
to the Duchess' virtual love-making, here and in IV, 1, 
following, the parallels listed in Chap. IV, Sect. 1. For 
her use of the double meaning and hint, here and in IV, 

I, see Chap. IV, Sect. 28. Note in connection with this 
scene The Humorous Courtier, I, 1, etc. Cornelia's en- 
trance with the news of the arrival of the Duke to claim 
the Duchess as his bride is drawn from Clavela's cor- 
responding announcement, El Castigo, III, 6. The con- 
versation of Ursini and Aurelio at the end of the scene 
is based upon that of Pinabel and Kodrigo, ibid., Ill, 10. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. For Mercutio's pride in Aurelio, see 
III, 2. This part of the scene is Shirley's. See under 
Love Tricks, V, 3, for the meeting of the Duke of Ferrara 
and Pimponio as the Duke. This is a source for The Sis- 
ters, V, 2. The bit of business with the glove (p. 429) 
between the Duchess and Aurelio is based on the long- 
drawn-out employment of the same article in El Castigo, 
III, 5, 6. See under The Court Secret, I, 1. Aurelio 's 
writing the letter intended for "him that loves her best," 
at the Duchess' dictation, together with the contents of 
the letter, is drawn from El Castigo, III, 14. Note as a 
similar case of double entendre the letter in The Cardinal, 

II, 1. Cf. for the general features, The Lady of Pleasure, 

III, 1, Captain Underwit, I, 1 (a list), The First Part of 
Jeronymo, p. 465, Sir Giles Goosecap, IV, 1, The Gentle- 
man Usher, III, 1, Match Me in London, IV, More Dis- 
semblers besides Women, III, 2, IV, 2. A reference oc- 
curs (p. 433) to Wit at Several Weapons. The dialogue 
between the Duke and Aurelio comes from El Castigo, III, 
15, 16. The expression which gains the Duchess' letter for 
the Duke is translated by Shirley from Sc. 16. The title 



304 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

of Shirley's play occurs in the text (p. 436) and in V, 1 
(see Chap. IV, Sect. 31). Rodrigo in El Castigo, III, 21, 
remarks twice on the ocasion he has lost. Tirso's own 
title occurs, III, 22, of his play. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Based on El Castigo, III, 20, 21. Shir- 
ley places Aurelio's ''father," Mercutio, on guard at the 
gate. In the Spanish play Chinchilla is at the gate, but 
not on guard. He sees Casimiro, but, thinking him to 
be Rodrigo, makes no effort to stop him. Aurelio's be- 
rating of Mercurio is based on Rodrigo 's rage at hearing 
of Casimiro 's forestalling him, El Castigo, III, 21 (Rod- 
rigo, however, does not storm at his servant especially). 
See under II, 3, for the mistaking of Casimiro for Aurelio, 
and under IV, 1, for the use of the title in the text. 

Sc. 2. Nearly entirely Shirley's. Pisauro's telling Cor- 
nelia that Aurelio is her brother although he will attempt 
to deny it is a reversal of the devices used by Livia to for- 
ward Hippolito's love of Isabella, Women Beware Women, 
II, 1, and of Mildred to hold in check her brother Offa's 
passion for her, The Queen's Exchange, IV, 1, V, 1. Cf. 
Love in a Maze, III, 3, and The Example, II, 1, for one 
suitor's slandering another. For Ursini's eavesdropping 
cf. II, 2, 3, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. The match between 
Ursini and Cornelia is Shirley's variation upon Tirso. In 
El Castigo, III, 22, Rodrigo wins Clavela, while Pinabel 
is consoled by the hand of Laura. The entrance of the 
Duke and Duchess as married is the only part of the 
scene drawn from the Spanish. Pimponio's Hue and Cry 
seems a parody on Shirley's own Love's Hue and Cry, 
The Witty Fair One, III, 2, and Poems, VI, 410-11. 

VII. The Coronation 

The Coronation was licensed, apparently as Shirley's 
February 6, 1634^35. On April 25, 1639, it was entered 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 305 

in the Stationers' Kegister together with The Nightwalker, 
The Opportunity, Love's Cruelty, and Wit without Money, 
without an author's name. 15 In 1640 The Coronation 
appeared with Fletcher named on the titlepage as author. 18 
However, in 1652 there appeared a catalogue of Shirley's 
published works affixed to the Six New Plays. Among 
these is The Coronation with the note, "Falsely ascribed 
to Jo. Fletcher" (see Nason, James Shirley, Chaps. Ill, 
V). Nevertheless, The Coronation was published in the 
second folio of Beaumont and Fletcher's plays, and even 
now is still included among them. 17 Langbaine lists it 
as Fletcher's (Dramatic Poets, p. 208). 

At present the consensus of opinion is that The Corona- 
tion is Shirley's, or, at least, that it is as much Shirley's 
as King Lear, or Hamlet, is Shakespeare's. Possibly the 
play is a reworking or a completion of the sketch of a play 
by Fletcher. Again, there may have been dishonesty on 
the publisher's part — an attempt to pass off a play of 
Shirley's as Fletcher's, — or a case of confusion, perhaps 
connected in some way with the entry of one play of 
Fletcher's and Shirley's at the same time as The Corona- 
tion and the two other plays of Shirley. 

Schipper's argument as to the date of composition of 
the play (1632) is invalid, although the date itself may 
be not far wrong. The fact that Cupid is spoken of as 
having "troubled every masque at court these seven years" 
cannot be construed as referring to the seven years follow- 
ing the accession of Charles I. Masques at the court of 
James I contained Cupids. For instance, they appear in 

is Arber's guess that these five plays are Beaumont and Fletcher's 
is not worth consideration ( Transcript, IV, 438 ) . 

is Nissen says the Hamburg City Library copy of this edition 
lacks Fletcher's name on the titlepage (James Shirley, p. 12). 

it The Coronation is contained in Glover and Waller's reprint of 
the second Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1679. 



the following court-masques of Jonson: The Hue and 
Cry after Cupid (1608), Love Freed from Ignorance and 
Folly (1610), Love Restored (1610), Christmas, his 
Masque (1616), and Time Vindicated (1623) (see Schip- 
per, James Shirley, pp. 159-60, on The Coronation). 
M Seven years" means doubtless merely several years. 

A brief outline of the plot follows : 

Theophilus, King of Epire, dies, leaving two infant 
sons, Leonatus and Demetrius, and a daughter, Sophia. 
Fearing lest Cassander, an ambitious noble, should usurp 
the throne, Theophilus provides that the boys be reported 
dead. Sophia is then proclaimed queen under Cassander 's 
protection, and is later betrothed to Lisimachus, his son. 
In the meantime, the princes have been given into the care 
of Eubulus and Macarius, two nobles, the former of whom 
rears Leonatus as Seleucus, his son, and the latter, Deme- 
trius as Arcadius, his nephew (not son, as in the dramatis 
personce). The two brothers (who do not know their rela- 
tionship) are to decide a feud between Eubulus and Maca- 
rius by single combat before the Queen. To prevent any 
danger to the true King the two old men are reconciled. 
Sophia, who has just dismissed Cassander as Protector, 
chooses as her husband not Lisimachus but Arcadius. 
Fired with ambition, he forsakes his mistress, Polidora, and 
accepts the Queen 's hand. The identity of Arcadius is now 
revealed, and he is placed on the throne. He now seeks 
to return to Polidora who refuses him, alleging that his 
rank is now too high. Angered by his loss of power, and 
the jilting of Lisimachus, Cassander sets up Seleucus as 
a pretender to the crown, proclaiming him to be Leonatus. 
Arcadius is dethroned and thereby regains Polidora. 
Seleucus becomes rebellious toward Cassander who at- 
tempts to overthrow him by confessing his plot, but is 
confounded by the revelation of his protege's true identity. 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 307 

A reconciliation between Sophia and Lisimachus is effected, 
and the play ends happily. 

It seems fairly certain that The Coronation is based 
upon A King and No King (much as The Doubtful Heir 
is, in turn, based upon The Coronation). Shirley has, as 
usual, introduced variations of the plot of the earlier play. 
He has reversed the main situation : Arbaces in love with 
Panthea, who turns out not to be his sister, becomes Ar- 
cadius, about to marry Sophia who is revealed to be his 
sister. Tigranes who wavers in his love for Spaconia on 
seeing Panthea is repeated also in Arcadius who leaves 
Polidora for Sophia. Indeed, Arcadius in characterization 
corresponds to Tigranes and in the action of the play has 
the parts both of Tigranes and of Arbaces to maintain. 
The characterization of Seleucus is modeled after that of 
Arbaces with a touch of Mardonius. As to the other 
characters Shirley's Cassander = Fletcher's Gobrias; Nes- 
torius = Lygones ; Sophia = Panthea ; and Polidora = 
Spaconia. 18 

Cassander is Shirley's first essay at the elderly politi- 
cian, a class including besides the Cardinal in The Car- 
dinal, Gotharus in The Politician, and Roderigo in The 
Court Secret. Sophia is an imperious spoiled child, like 
the Olivia of the later Doubtful Heir (see Chap. Ill), 
while Polidora, affectionate, but with a saving amount of 
pride, is as human in another way as Domitilla in The 
Royal Master. Because of this mixture of qualities, she 
stands nearly alone among Shirley's romantic heroines. 

For the occurrences of the title of the play in the pro- 
logue, cf. I, 1, IV, 3, and the epilogue, and see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 31. 
Act I, Sc. 1. For the discussion of Cassander 's char- 
is The names "Seleucus" and "Demetrius" seem derived from 
Plutarch's Life of Demetrius, or from The Humorous Lieutenant. 



308 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

acter, etc., see under The Cardinal, I, 1. Cassander with 
his plan for a marriage between Lisimachus and the Queen 
seems the original of the Cardinal and his projected match 
between Columbo and Rosaura. Cf. the feud between 
Eubulus and Macarius with the Capulets and Montagues 
in Romeo and Juliet, Alvarez and Louis in The Spanish 
Gipsy, Alvarez and Vitelli in Love's Cure, Julio and Bel- 
lides in The Maid in the Mill. Note also The Maid's 
Revenge. For Sophia's courtship of Lisimachus, cf. II, 
3, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 1. A suggestion for the terms 
of the combat between Seleucus and Arcadius seems de- 
rived from Love's Cure, V, I, in which Lucio and Vitelli 
prepare for their combat. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Cf. the dialogue between Arcadius and 
Polidora with that between Tigranes and Spaconia, A King 
and No King, I, 2 (the purpose of both is to demonstrate 
the affection existing between the lovers). Note The 
Doubtful Heir, II, 3, as founded upon this scene. Gifford 
derives the three lines beginning ''Come let me take the 
kiss, . . . ," from the three lines in Coriolanus, V, 3, be- 
ginning "Now by the jealous queen of heaven. ..." Cf., 
however, The Queen of Corinth, I, 2, and The Bondman, 
II, 1, IV, 3. For Arcadius' invitation to Polidora to come 
to court, see under The Royal Master, I, 2 (which is de- 
rived from this passage). For analogues to his contemptu- 
ous remarks concerning court life, see under Love's 
Cruelty, I, 2. His invoking a curse upon himself in case 
he proves false to Polidora is drawn from Tigranes, A 
King and No King, I, 2. Cf. also, however, Proteus in 
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, II, 2, and Virolet in The 
Double Marriage, I, 1. Note Cressida in Troilus and 
Cressida, IV, 2. 

Sc. 2. For Arcadius' wish that he and Seleucus were 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 309 

to "tug upon some cliff," see under The Cardinal, V, 2, 
and note King Lear, IV, 6. 

Sc. 3. For possible sources for the formal combat as 
arranged in the preceding scene and about to be engaged 
in in this scene, cf. A King and No King, I, 1, II, 1 (re- 
ported), and Love's Cure, V, 3 (where the combat does 
not actually begin). The reconciliation of Eubulus and 
Macarius in order to prevent possible bloodshed suggests 
a use of the reconciliation of the combatants in the latter 
play which is brought about by the threats of their vari- 
ous female relatives to kill each other if they proceed. 
For analogous formal combats, see Jocasta, IV, 1, V, 2 
(between two brothers), Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes, 
p. 524, Henry VI, Part II, II, 3, Richard II, 1, 3, Troilus 
and Cressida, IV, 5, King Lear, V, 3 (between half-broth- 
ers), The Brazen Age, I, 1, A Maidenhead Well Lost, V, 
The Thracian Wonder, V, 2, The Two Noble Kinsmen, 
V, 5 (off stage), The Knight of Malta, II, 5, The Devil's 
Law-case, V, 6, The Blind Beggar of Bednal Green, V, 
Sophronisba, V, 2, The Dumb Knight, I, 1, The Poor Man's 
Comfort, V, The Partial Law, V, 4, The Queen, V, Argalus 
and Parthenia, IV, 1 (1638). Note the reconciliations in 
Romeo and Juliet, V, 3, and The Spanish Gipsy, V, 2. 

For Sophia's announcement that she will choose a sub- 
ject for her husband, see under The Grateful Servant, I, 1. 
Cf. her proposing marriage to Arcadius with her court- 
ship of Lisimachus, I, 1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 1. Note 
The Doubtful Heir, II, 4, as derived from this incident. 
For brother and sister in love while ignorant of their rela- 
tionship, see under The Court Secret, I, 1. The position 
of Lisimachus here (forsaken by his mistress) furnishes 
a source for Leonario, The Doubtful Heir, II, 4. For 
the action of Arcadius in forsaking Polidora for a lady 



310 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

of higher rank, see under The Doubtful Heir, II, 4, which 
in this respect, however, actually does not parallel closely 
the situation in this scene. 

Act III, Sc. 1. Polidora's lament over the fickleness 
of Arcadius seems a development of Spaconia's asides dur- 
ing A King and No King, III, 1, in which she watches the 
growth of Tigranes' passion for Panthea. Note in con- 
nection with her sadness that Panthea comments on Spa- 
conia's melancholy, ibid., IV, 1. 

Sc. 2. For Cassander's attempting to incite Lisimachus 
to the murder of Arcadius, see under The Politician, III, 
2. For Seleucus as a discontented soldier, cf. Pallante, 
The Duke's Mistress, I, 1, and for his sarcasms on the court, 
see under Love's Cruelty, I, 2. His allusion to dancing 
as a way to preferment (p. 494) is based on The Humor- 
ous Courtier, II, 2. Note in connection with the studied 
and artificial character of Arcadius' compliments to Sophia, 
Flaviano's speech, The Imposture, I, 2, Contarini's, The 
Sisters, II, 2, and their parallels. The ornamentation 
seems borrowed by Octavio, The Royal Master, I, 2. The 
lines, "One smile a day would stretch my life to immor- 
tality" (p. 498), may be related to Doctor Faustus, V, 3, 
1 ' Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss. ' ' Note that 
Arcadius (p. 499), after receiving a letter from Polidora, 
struggles between love and ambition but yields to the lat- 
ter. This corresponds to the policy of Ferdinand in the 
later Doubtful Heir, III, 1, IV, 1. See under The Gen- 
tleman of Venice, V, 4, for parallels to the revelation of 
the true parentage of Arcadius, and note the similar inci- 
dent in which Seleucus figures, V, 3, following. This is 
a reversal of A King and No King, V, 4, in which Arbaces 
is proved no king. For the story of the preservation of 
Arcadius as told by Macarius and the Bishop, cf. Henry 
VI, Part II, III, 2, Cymbeline, V, 5, The Winter's Tale, 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 311 

V, 2 (reported), Perkin Warbeck, II, 1. This passage 
is utilized in The Doubtful Heir, I, 1, V, 2. For the 
resurrection of Demetrius (Arcadius) here, as well as that 
of Leonatus (Seleucus) in V, 3, following, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 29. Cf. Humor out of Breath, V, 2, for the recogni- 
tion of the rightful sovereign. Revelations of the rela- 
tionship of two characters in the situation of Arcadius and 
Sophia are found in Mother Bombie, V, 3, The Four Pren- 
tices of London, p. 104, The Case is Altered, V, 4, The 
Lovesick Court, V, 3, The Deserving Favorite, V, 1, The 
Jealous Lovers, V, 7, as well as in the doubtfully Shirleian 
Phillis of Scyros, V, 9, and No Wit, No Help like a 
Woman's, IV, 1 (incorrect). The transfer by Arcadius 
of his love from Sophia back to Polidora here and in IV, 
3, is used again in The Royal Master, V, 1 (see Chap. III). 
Cf. Proteus, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, V, 4. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. Note in connection with Cassander's 
plotting the overthrow of Arcadius, The Traitor, II, 1, 
etc., The Politician, I, 1, etc., The Duke's Mistress, III, 
3, IV, 1, The Court Secret, III, 2. For the soliloquy of 
Seleucus on true greatness, see under The Royal Master, 
III, 3. The decision to set up Seleucus as a pretender 
suggests Juliana as Fioretta in the later Imposture, II, 
1, etc. Note the analogues to her position cited under that 
play. Ferdinand's situation in The Doubtful Heir, up 
to V, 2, is precisely that of Seleucus until his recognition 
as rightful King, V, 3. Cf. Seleucus as a pretender with 
York, Edward of March, Edward of Lancaster, and Cade 
in the Henry VI plays, Arthur in King John, Henry of 
Hereford in Richard II, Mortimer in the Henry IV plays, 
Richmond in Richard Hi, Antiochus in Believe as You 
List, Warbeck and Simnel (reported) in Perkin Warbeck. 
Note that Cade by York's admission (Henry VI, Part II, 
III, 1) acts as a sort of puppet for York. The game of 



312 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

crowning a king, as played here by Cassander, recalls Rich- 
ard III, III, 7. 

Sc. 2. For Sophia's misinterpretation of Lisimachus, 
cf. V, 2, following, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 27. This espe- 
cial type of misunderstanding is used later in Captain 
Underwit, V, 1. Its source may be A Maidenhead Well 
Lost, III (Lauretta and the Prince of Florence). 

Sc. 3. For the masque within a play, see Chap. IV, Sect. 
18. The masque which deals allegorically with some event 
which occurs in the play is used in The Traitor, III, 2. The 
entertainment (which may be called Love Corrupted by 
Fortune) is strongly suggestive in theme of A Contention 
for Honor and Riches. 

Cf. Lisander's comment upon the frequent appearance 
of Cupid in court-masques with Bombo 's recipe for masque- 
making, The Royal Master, II, 1. Cf. The Sad One, V, 1 
(1640), for similar satire. Fleay notes as court-masques 
with Cupid as a figure during the seven years preceding 
The Coronation, Love's Triumph, Chloridia, Love's Wel- 
come (1633), Love's Welcome (1634), Love's Mistress [not 
a masque, however], and The Temple of Love (Biog. 
Chron., II, 241). Cupid figures in the masques in The 
Constant Maid, IV, 3, and The Ball, V, 1, as well as in 
Shirley's entertainments, The Triumph of Beauty, and 
Cupid and Death. See The Nice Valor, II, 1. For fur- 
ther parallels, see Chap. IV, Sect. 18. 

Polidora's direct and indirect rebuke of Arcadius for 
his faithlessness is based upon Spaconia and Tigranes, A 
King and No King, IV, 2. Polidora, however, does not 
pardon Arcadius so readily as Spaconia does Tigranes. 
Cf. Bianca's refusing to receive back Cesario who had 
deserted her in The Fair Maid of the Inn, IV, 2. For 
Arcadius' transfer of his love back to Polidora, see un- 
der III, 2. Her entrance as mourning the " death" of 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 313 

Arcadius is a serious employment of Penelope's lamenta- 
tions for Fowler's "death," The Witty Fair One, V, 3. 
For the announcement of the breaking out of a revolt, 
headed by Seleucus, see under The Politician, IV, 3. Note 
also The Doubtful Heir, V, 4. The words "no king" in 
Polidora's speech (p. 520) and in the question of Ar- 
cadius "Must I be no King?" (p. 521), together with their 
occurrence in V, 1, 2, following, recall Arbaces in A King 
and No King, V, 4 ("I am found no King . . ."). Ar- 
baces' joy over the loss of his throne, while founded on a 
different reason, is repeated in Arcadius' attitude through 
the remainder of the play. Arbaces, too, is proved not 
to be of royal birth, while Arcadius is shown merely to 
be no longer rightful king. 

Act V, Sc. 1, which concerns Seleucus' asserting his inde- 
pendence of Cassander seems original in nearly all re- 
spects. For "no king" (p. 526), see under IV, 3. 

Sc. 2. The misunderstanding of Sophia and Polidora 
parallels that of the former and Lisimachus, IV, 2 (see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 27 also). For the meeting of the two, 
note the later Royal Master, IV, 1, and Court Secret, II, 3. 

Sc. 3. For the revelation of Seleucus' true identity, 
see under III, 2. Note that as in The Doubtful Heir the 
identity of Ferdinand is in doubt until V, 2, so that of 
Seleucus (or Leonatus) is from IV, 1, preceding, to this 
scene. Note A King and No King, V, 4, as a source for 
the general adjustment of relationships. 

VIII. The Sisters 

The Sisters, which was licensed April 26, 1642, was the 
last of Shirley's plays to be produced before the closing 
of the theatres. It is an amusing but very light piece 
built upon a plot made up of farce and romance in almost 
equal parts. The Sisters contains a number of echoes of 



314 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

earlier plays, but no main source has yet been discovered. 

The plot of the comedy runs as follows: 

The father of Paulina and Angellina dies, making the 
former his sole heiress, for the latter is intended for a 
convent. Eaten up with pride, Paulina assumes the state 
of a princess, to the disgust of her uncle, Antonio, whose 
favorite Angellina is. The Prince of Parma sends Con- 
tarini, a noble, to view Paulina's ostentation. He makes 
love to her but actually falls in love with Angellina. 
Vergerio, his servant, is deputized to press his master's 
suit to Angellina, but she seems to be falling in love with 
him. In the meantime, Frapolo, a robber, and his band, 
attempt in the guise of astrologers to plunder Paulina's 
castle, but are driven away. Next, with Frapolo disguised 
as the Prince of Parma and the other banditti as his suite, 
they visit Paulina. The false Prince courts her, and mar- 
ries her. Unfortunately, the true Prince appears on the 
scene, and as a result Frapolo 's plan is frustrated and he 
and his companions are captured. Shortly after the 
Prince's arrival, it is discovered that Vergerio really is 
Pulcheria, daughter to the Viceroy of Sicily, who had been 
formerly betrothed to Contarini, but who had been reported 
dead. Contarini returns to her, and the Prince pays his 
court to Angellina who reconsiders her plan of entering a 
convent. By the confession of Morulla, her old nurse, 
Paulina is shown to be her own child, who had been sub- 
stituted for the real Paulina at her death, so Angellina 
comes into her father's estate, an allowance from which she 
pays to Paulina. 

Apparently, The Sisters is drawn, in part, from The 
Gentleman of Venice, The Young Admiral, and Twelfth 
Night, with certain elements borrowed from still other 
plays, such as The Elder Brother. 

Paulina is the feminine counterpart of Thomazo, the 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 315 

boorish changeling, in The Gentleman of Venice. Through- 
out the play, she is contrasted with the almost saintly 
Angellina, as Thomazo and Giovanni are in the play men- 
tioned. Her pride resembles that of Torrenti in The Won- 
der of a Kingdom or of Alteza in The Just Italian. The 
ceremoniousness of her little court suggests that of Sancho 
Panza at Barataria (Don Quixote, Part II, Chap. 47). 
Paulina indeed, seems like the haughty wicked sister of 
the marchen, as Angellina resembles the Cinderella 
type. 

Antonio, uncle to the sisters, who favors one niece at 
the expense of the other whom he abuses heartily is evi- 
dently modeled upon Miramont in The Elder Brother. 
Cf. also Antonio in The Chances, and Durazzo in The 
Guardian, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 43. Olaus in The Poli- 
tician and the others of the blunt soldier class listed in 
Chap. IV, Sect. 39, should be compared (Antonio is not 
a soldier, however). 

The prologue is worth noting for the references to 
Shakespeare by name (ef. Captain Underwit, I, 1, II, 1) 
and to Fletcher, and Jonson (cf. the preface to Beaumont 
and Fletcher's Tragedies and Comedies, and the dedication 
to The Grateful Servant respectively). For an explana- 
tion of " London is gone to York" (the King's journey 
north in 1642) see Clarendon, Hist., II, 290 ff. (Bk. IV). 

The title of the play occurs in the dramatis personce, as 
in The Young Admiral, The Duke's Mistress, etc. (see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 31). 

Act I, Sc. 1. For parallels to Frapolo and his banditti 
in this scene, and in II, 1, IV, 1 (in their own shapes), 
cf . The Arcadia, IV, 1, 2, The Triumph of Peace, Honoria 
and Mammon, V, 2, The Nightwalker, The Lovers' Progress, 
I, 2, Love's Pilgrimage, II, 3, The Two Gentlemen of 
Verona, IV, 1, V, 3, 4, Henry IV, Part I, II, 2, Timon 



316 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

of Athens, IV, 3, The Four Prentices of London, p. 77 ff., 
The Fair Maid of the Exchange, p. 7, The Fair Maid of 
the West, Part II, IV, 1, Sir John Oldcastle, III, 4, V, 2, 
The Blind Beggar of Bednal Green, III, 2, The Downfall 
of Robert, Earl of Huntington, III, 2, etc., The Death of 
Robert, Earl of Huntington, I, 1, etc., Your Five Gal- 
lants, III, 2, The Widow, III, 1, The London Prodigal, IV, 
2, The Miseries of Enforced Marriage, IV, Thierry and 
Theodoret, V, 1, The Coxcomb, II, 1, The Pilgrim, II, 2, 
III, 1, 3, Love's Cure, IV, 3, Albumazar, I, 1, etc., A Cure 
for a Cuckold, II, 1, 2, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, IV, 3, 
V, 4, 6, The Queen's Exchange, II, 3, IV, 1, V, 1, The 
Guardian, II, 3, V, 1, 4, The Sad Shepherd, The Goblins, 
I, 1, etc. Pretended thieves are found in Wit at Several 
Weapons, II, 4, and The Little French Lawyer, IV, 5, 6, 
V, 1. Cf. with Frapolo's laying down rules for the gov- 
ernment of his men, The Downfall of Robert, Earl of 
Huntington, III, 2, The Beggar's Bush, II, 1, The Guard- 
ian, II, 3. Cf. Longino's " Conscience is a varlet" (p. 
360) with Hamlet's "Conscience doth make cowards of us 
all," Hamlet, III, 1. Cf. the Second Murderer on con- 
science, Richard III, 1, 4, La Torch on the same subject, 
The Bloody Brother, II, 1, and the King, The Noble Sol- 
dier, IV, 2 (see under The Royal Master, IV, 1). Note 
Frapolo's allusion to trimness in religion (p. 361) (con- 
temporary, doubtless, as are many of the other satirical 
allusions in this portion of the scene). Unfortunately for 
Shirley, as far as the modern reader's opinion of his taste 
goes, the cowardice of Piperollo (see II, 1, also) is with- 
out a single close parallel. Note Thomazo's setting out 
to rob the Duke (his supposed father), in The Gentleman 
of Venice, III, 1. 

Sc. 2. See under The Politician, I, 1, for parallels to 
the crossing of the stage by Antonio and Angellina, while 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 317 

they are commented on by other characters. For the 
eavesdropping of Giovanni and Stephanio, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 30. For Antonio's railing upon his niece here and 
in II, 2 (which was doubtless considered comic), cf. The 
Duke's Mistress, III, 2, IV, 1, and see under Chap. IV, 
Sect. 20. Note Miramont on Eustace, his nephew, The 
Elder Brother, II, 1, III, 5, IV, 3. Antonio's "Thou hast 
drunk a devil," and the three lines following (pp. 366-67) 
recall Leontio's "I have drunk and seen the spider" (The 
Winter's Tale, II, 1). 

Act II, Sc. 1. There seem to be no parallels to this 
scene. Note I, 1, and IV, 1, for other appearances of the 
thieves in their own persons. 

Sc. 2. For the mention of the Lords of Misrule (pp. 
372-73), cf. The Insatiate Countess, III, The Royal Slave, 
I, 3, and note Jonson's Christmas, his Masque. On these 
dignitaries, see Chambers, Medieval Stage, I, 403 ff. For 
Lords of Misrule at St. John's College, and at Gray's Inn 
(of both of which Shirley had been a member) see ibid., 
pp. 408 ff., and 417-18, respectively. For the ornate flat- 
tery of Paulina by Contarini, see under The Imposture, 

1, 2. Angellina's reception of Contarini 's compliments to 
her recalls Domitilla and Octavio, The Royal Master, I, 

2, and Lidia and Sanazarro, The Great Duke of Florence, 
II, 3. For the quarrel of Antonio and Paulina, see under 
I, 2. Gifford notes that in a MS. of the play at Sion 
College occurs the following additional couplet, 

' ' For though I am no Princess, you shall see 
Such state that Princess born shall learn of me, ' ' 

which he assigns to Davenant. 

Act III, Sc. 1. For general analogues to this sharpers' 
scene, see under The Maid's Revenge, III, 2. The source 
of the disguise of Frapolo and the other banditti as as- 



318 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

trologers may be Albumazar, I, 5, etc. Note especially 
also The Widow, IV, 2, and cf. The Alchemist. Thieves 
in disguise occur in The Nightwalker, III, 3, The Mayor 
of Queenborough, V, 1, and A Mad World, My Masters, 
II, 1, V, 1, 2. For their comic fortune-telling, see under 
The Maid's Revenge, III, 2. Cf. with Piperollo's fortune 
that told Dondolo in More Dissemblers Besides Women, 
IV, 1. The picking of the servants' pockets while their 
attention is elsewhere attracted is paralleled in James IV, 

IV, 3, Sir Thomas More, I, 2, The Mayor of Queenborough, 

V, 1, Your Five Gallants, I, 2, II, 1, The Winter's Tale, IV, 
3, 4, The Alchemist, III, 2, Bartholomew Fair, II, 1, III, 
1, IV, 1, 3, The Beggar's Bush, III, 1, and The Court Beg- 
gar, II, 1 (reported). 

Sc. 2. For Antonio's "I could beat her" (p. 389), see 
under Love Tricks, I, 1. Contarini's sending Vergerio, 
a maid disguised as a servant, to court Angellina for him 
is founded on Twelfth Night, I, 4, in which Orsino sends 
Viola as Cesario (who is in love with him, as "Vergerio" 
is with Contarini) to plead his case with Olivia. See Chap. 
IV, Sect. 3, for wooing by proxy ; and for a person 's being 
sent to press a suit, by the success of which a rival would 
profit, see Chap. IV, Sect. 5, and note The Grateful Serv- 
ant, II, 2. For the reference to Venus and Adonis (p. 
392), see under The Doubtful Heir, IV, 2. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. For the thieves, cf. I, 1, and II, 1. For 
the references to Claridiana and to Guenevere, see Koeppel, 
Reflexe der Ritter-Romane im Drama, p. 212, note. See 
under The Constant Maid, I, 1, for Piperollo's quotation 
from The Spanish Tragedy, II, 4 (which Gifford incor- 
rectly prints as prose). 

Sc. 2. Note how Angellina as her uncle's heiress is con- 
trasted with Paulina in the preceding scenes as Giovanni 
and Thomazo are contrasted in The Gentleman of Venice. 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 319 

For the character of the waiting-woman, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 21. Note that in Cartwright's Siege, II, 2, is an 
indirect character of a waiting-woman, and cf. Bold in 
Amends for Ladies, I, 1, on the qualifications of a waiting- 
woman. Cf . Angellina 's rebuke of the Scholar on his flow- 
ery verses to her with Fowler, The Witty Fair One, I, 3, 
and note Shirley's Friendship (Poems, VI, 452-53). Shir- 
ley parodies such compliments in The Witty Fair One, III, 
2, The Humorous Courtier, II, 2, Love in a Maze, II, 2. 
For the kind of complimentary poem which she criticizes 
here, see Lovell's lines to the Lady, The Lady Mother, I, 
1, Horatio's address to the Countess, Law Tricks, II [1], 
the compliments of Asotus and his companions to Phryne, 
The Jealous Lovers, III, 5, Guzman concerning Amoretta, 
The Lady's Trial, III, 1. For parallels in non-dramatic 
poetry, see Shirley's Love's Hue and Cry (VI, 410-11), 
To the Painter, Preparing to Draw M. H. H. (VI, 414 ff.), 
To One that said his Mistress was Old (VI, 417-18), A 
Dialogue (VI, 459 ff.). See also under The Maid's Re- 
venge, I, 2, for various criticisms of contemporary litera- 
ture by Shirley. Ward suggests that Newman's speech, 
Albertus Wallenstein, II, 2, is founded on Angellina 's 
lines here (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 123, note). How- 
ever, this is not the case, as Glapthorne's play was printed 
in 1639. As Gifford says, the words of the Scholar and 
Francescina at parting allude to Sir Roger and Abigail 
in The Scornful Lady, IV, 1. Note The Lady of Pleasure, 
V, 1. The thronging of tradespeople to Angellina (p. 
400 ff.) suggests Pennyboy Junior and the merchants, The 
Staple of News, I, 1. Cf. also The Old Law, II, 1, and 
A Fine Companion, I, 4. For the petitioners, or beggars, 
as soldiers, see under Love Tricks, IV, 5. 

Sc. 3, which represents Piperollo's report to Paulina of 
the robbery of himself and Lucio (IV, 1), and the reported 



320 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

approach of the Prince of Parma, has no parallels, seem- 
ingly. 

Sc. 4. Angellina's love for Pulcheria disguised as 
Vergerio, as shown in this scene, seems founded upon 
Olivia's passion for Viola as Cesario, Twelfth Night, I, 5, 
III, 1, in view of the apparent indebtedness in III, 2. For 
other parallels, see Chap. IV, Sect. 8, and note The Doubt- 
ful Heir, IV, 2. 

Sc. 5. For Prince Farnese in disguise, see under The 
Humorous Courtier. For his meeting Frapolo posing as 
Prince of Parma here and in V, 2, following, see under 
Love Tricks, V, 2, and The Imposture, III, 1. For the dis- 
guise of Frapolo, assumed to gain entrance to Paulina's 
castle, cf. Folly wit's disguise, etc., in A Mad World, My 
Masters, II, 1. Folly wit executes his design, unlike Shir- 
ley's robber. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Fabio's suspecting his wife, Morulla, to 
be mad is based on the opinion concerning Ursula, The 
Gentleman of Venice, V, 4. The discovery of ' ' Vergerio 's ' ' 
sex, and her reconciliation with Contarini seem, with due 
allowance for the variations necessary for the variations 
in plot, to be based upon Orsino and "Cesario," Twelfth 
Night, V, I. Pulcheria — daughter to the Viceroy of Sicily, 
— who has followed Contarini recalls strongly Rosinda, 
daughter to the King of Sicily who follows her lover, 
Cesario, and like Pulcheria wins him from another lady, 
The Young Admiral, II, 1, etc. Cf. Isabella and Carlo 
in the later Court Secret. For the resurrection of Pul- 
cheria and for her disguise, see Chap. IV, Sects. 29 and 32. 
Her following her lover as his servant recalls Castabella, 
The Maid's Revenge, V, 1, 3. See Chap. Ill, on the fickle 
lover, which type Contarini approaches. 

Sc. 2. Note the reference to The Knight of the Burn- 
ing Pestle, p. 418. Cf. Longino's betrayal of his com- 



THE ROMANTIC COMEDIES 321 

panions with Falconbridge and Spicing, Edward IV, Part 
I, p. 35. For Piperollo 's calling for a lion to decide which 
is the true Prince, note The Noble Gentleman, V, 1, Henry 
IV, Part I, II, 4 (in spite of Gifford), The Mad Lover, 

IV, 5. Note that Frapolo, like Pimponio in The Oppor- 
tunity, IV, 1, and to a certain extent, Juliana in The Im- 
posture, III, 3, attempts, by mere impudence, to outface 
the true Prince, but again, like the characters named, is 
forced to beg for mercy. Cf. this situation with IV, 5, 
and see under Love Tricks, V, 3. The discovery of 
Paulina's parentage is based on The Gentleman of Venice, 

V, 4. The stories of Morulla and Ursula are practically 
the same. Note Frapolo in this scene as a trickster tricked. 
For the epilogue by a comic character, see under Love 
Tricks. 



CHAPTER IX 

THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 

I. The Wedding 

The Wedding seems not to have been licensed under that 
name, or possibly it was omitted by accident from Malone 's 
transcripts from Herbert's Officebook. Fleay assigns the 
play, on the strength of the reference to ''the last day of 
the first merry month, and in the second year of the reign 
of King Cupid' ' (III, 2), to presentation in May, 1626 
(Biog. Chron., II, 236). While we do not know that Shir- 
ley identified Charles I with "King Cupid," yet Fleay 's 
explanation of the phrases quoted seems at least plausible, 
and does not conflict with any other evidence as to the date 
of the comedy (there is none, by the way, save the fact of 
its publication in 1629). No record of the entry of The 
Wedding for publication appears in the Stationers' Regis- 
ter, yet editions of it came out in 1629 and 1633. 

Stiefel offers a Spanish source for The Wedding 
(Romanische Forschungen, V, 196, note). It is worth not- 
ing then that Shirley had begun, probably in 1626, certainly 
before 1629, his borrowings from the literature of Spain, 
and, moreover, had utilized this foreign material in his 
first genuine comedy of manners. Whatever the Spanish 
influence amounted to, there are evidences of the influence 
of the Falstaffian plays of Shakespeare and Twelfth Night 
in the underplot of The Wedding, besides a strong sugges- 
tion of indebtedness to Much Ado About Nothing in the 
more romantic main plot. 

322 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 323 

The story of the comedy is as follows : 

Gratiana, daughter of Sir John Belfare, is about to be 
married to Beauford. Beauford 's kinsman, Marwood, tells 
him Gratiana has been unchaste within his own personal 
knowledge. Beauford breaks off the match, challenges Mar- 
wood, and wounds him, leaving him for dead on the field. 
He then shuts himself up in his lodgings, where he awaits 
arrest, and mourns Gratiana whom he thinks to have com- 
mitted suicide. Milliscent, a servant, posing as a kinsman 
of Marwood 's, brings a chest to Beauford which ostensibly 
contains Marwood 's body, but in which Gratiana is instead. 
Milliscent reveals to him the reasons for Marwood 's accusa- 
tions and thus reconciles the lovers. Beauford is arrested 
and taken before Justice Landby. Marwood, whose body 
had disappeared from the scene of the duel, now appears 
as having been healed by a skilful surgeon, and clears 
Beauford of the charge of murder. Gratiana 's innocence 
is then established by the confession of her maid, Cardona, 
who had been bribed to betray her mistress to Marwood, 
but who had substituted her own daughter, Lucibel, for 
Gratiana. As atonement Marwood marries Lucibel who 
has posed in a male disguise as Milliscent. The second 
plot deals with the courtship of Jane, Justice Landby 's 
daughter, by Lodam, a glutton, and Rawbone, a miser. 
She, however, loves Haver, a poor young man who serves 
Rawbone in disguise. A mock duel occurs between Lodam 
and Haver in his master's clothing. Justice Landby, who 
has penetrated Haver's disguise, sends him and Jane to be 
married, in spite of the horrified miser's protests. 

From the foregoing outline, it is seen that the main plot 
is a form of the Ginevra, or slandered innocence story, 
which occurs in Ariosto and Shakespeare, as well as in the 
works of many others. Beauford, Marwood, and Gratiana 
correspond to Shakespeare's Claudio, Don John, and Hero 



in Much Ado About Nothing. Cardona and Lucibel very 
roughly parallel the Borachio and Margaret of Shake- 
speare's play. The mock duel between Lodam and Haver 
as Rawbone recalls Sir Andrew and Viola as Cesario in 
Twelfth Night, with a hint of Sir Hugh and Doctor Caius 
in The Merry Wives of Windsor. 

Lodam, Jane's corpulent suitor, is certainly drawn after 
Falstaff (Henry IV, Parts I, II, The Merry Wives of Wind- 
sor). Cf. also Lazarillo in The Woman Hater, and Greedy 
in A New Way to Pay Old Debts (1625). Rawbone, as a 
young usurer, is a novelty. Note Hornet in The Constant 
Maid, with the Niece who is stolen from him, as a conven- 
tional Elizabethan money-lender. As immediately suggest- 
ing the character, note Overreach in A New Way to Pay 
Old Debts. Cf. also the Usurer in A Looking-glass for 
London, Barabas in The Jew of Malta, Shylock in The 
Merchant of Venice, Jacques in The Case is Altered, Sor- 
dido in Every Man out of his Humor, Volpone, etc., in 
Volpone, the Richer Pennyboy in The Staple of News, Sir 
Moth Interest in The Magnetic Lady (1633), Lorenzo in 
May-Day, Mammon in Jack Drum's Entertainment, Quo- 
modo in Michaelmas Term, Lucre, etc., in A Trick to Catch 
the Old One, Bartervile in If This Be Not a Good Play, the 
Devil Is in It, Lopez in Women Pleased, Morecraft in The 
Scornful Lady, Hog in The Hog Hath Lost his Pearl, 
Earthworm in The Old Couple, Bloodhound in A Match at 
Midnight, Mendicant in The Court Beggar (1632?), Ver- 
min in The Damoiselle, Quicksands in The English Moor, 
Littlegood in A Fine Companion. The above list com- 
prises both money-lenders and misers. For both Lodam 
and Rawbone as foolish suitors, and as poltroons, see under 
Chap. IV, Sects. 44, and 47. Cf. Lodam and Greedy in A 
New Way to Pay Old Debts. Cf. Camelion with Scarabeo 
in The Maid's Revenge, and note Carion in The Supposes, 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 325 

Launcelot in The Merchant of Venice, Pachieco in The 
Woman Hater, Penurio in Women Pleased, Lazarillo in 
Love's Cure. Note that Andelocia, Old Fortunatus, I, 2, 
says to his starving servant, Shadow, ". . . Here comes 
another shadow," to which the servant replies, "It should 
be a chameleon, for he is all in colors." For the disguise 
of Haver as a servant, cf . Giovanni in The Gentleman of 
Venice, and note the disguised suitors, as in The Arcadia, 
The Humorous Courtier, The Bird in a Cage, etc. Cf . espe- 
cially Mucedorus in Mucedorus, Lacy in The Shoemakers' 
Holiday, Old Flowerdale in The London Prodigal (not a 
lover), Friscobaldo in The Honest Whore, Part II (not a 
lover), Sencer in The Wise Woman of Hogsdon, Gerardine 
in The Family of Love, Montague in The Honest Man's 
Fortune, Pisander in The Bondman, Antonio in A Very 
Woman. For Justice Landby, see Justice Clement in 
Every Man in his Humor and note Justice Clement in the 
later Constant Maid. Note Jane as a first sketch of Shir- 
ley's clever young woman (see under Chap. IV, Sect. 40). 

Act I, Sc. 1. For the discussion of the wedding invi- 
tations by Belfare and Isaac, cf. Sir Quintilian and Flash, 
Satiromastix, p. 188. For the brief characters of Rawbone 
and Lodam, with that of the former, I, 3, following, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 21. Isaac's remark concerning Lodam that 
he is "something given to the waist, for he lives within no 
reasonable compass" (p. 368) is from the conversation of 
Falstaff and Bardolph, Henry IV, Part I, III, 3. Note also 
the Chief Justice and Falstaff, ibid., Part II, I, 2. 

Sc. 2. For Isaac with the wedding invitations, note I, 
1, I, 3, and see Romeo and Juliet, I, 2. Gifford notes in 
this scene references to the practices of the Catholic Church. 
Cf. The Gentleman of Venice, V, 2, The Grateful Servant, 
III, 3. For Marwood and Beauford, see I, 4, following. 

Sc. 3. For Landby 's character of Rawbone, cf. I, 1, and 



326 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

see Chap. IV, Sect. 21. His proposed test of Jane resem- 
bles that of Fernando, The Brothers, III, 1, V, 3. See 
Chap. IV, Sect. 15, for parallels. For Camelion's lament 
over his leanness, cf . Scarabeo, The Maid 's Revenge, III, 2. 
Note also Carion, The Supposes, II, 4, and Launcelot, The 
Merchant of Venice, II, 2. 

Sc. 4 continues the latter part of Sc. 2 in which Mar- 
wood promises to make an important discovery to Beau- 
ford. The communication is to the effect that Marwood 
has enjoyed Gratiana. Swinburne seems inclined to find 
the source for this incident and for the actual repudiation 
in II, 3, in A Woman is a Weathercock, II, 1 (Fortnightly 
Review, April 1, 1890, p. 465). However, the breaking 
off of a match because of scandalous reports concerning the 
bride occurs in Much Ado About Nothing, III, 2, The Tri- 
umph of Love, Sc. 2, A Fair Quarrel, V, 1, The Partial 
Law, II, 2, The Jealous Lovers, II, 2 (1632). Note also 
The Royal Master, II, 2, III, 1, and The Grateful Servant, 
V, 1. 

Act II, Sc. 1. See under The Cardinal, III, 2, for the 
preparations for the wedding, and for Cardona's errands, 
cf. The Taming of the Shrew, IV, 1. 

Sc. 2. Beauf ord 's forcing Marwood to fight him is paral- 
leled in A Fair Quarrel, III, 1. Note also in Shirley's 
later Court Secret, IV, 2, and Example, IV, 3, V, 2. 

Sc. 3. See under The Brothers, V, 1, for the waiting of 
the wedding guests for the bride-groom. For Beauf ord 's 
repudiation of Gratiana as unchaste, cf. Claudio, Much 
Ado About Nothing, IV, 1, Chough, A Fair Quarrel, V, 1 
(note that Beauf ord does not break off the match publicly 
as does Claudio, nor is the scene comic as in the second play 
cited). Note A Woman is a Weathercock, II, 1 (the mar- 
riage has taken place in this city when the bride's alleged 
impurity is exposed). 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 327 

Act III, Sc. 1. The reported disappearance of Mar- 
wood 's body from the place of the duel is paralleled in The 
Trial of Chivalry, III, 2, The Deserving Favorite, III, 1 
(1629), Love Crowns the End, p. 10 (1632), The Floating 
Island, IV, 12 (1636). Koeppel derives Gratiana's return 
of his presents to Beauf ord from Ophelia 's return of Ham- 
let^ gifts, Hamlet, III, 1 (Shakespeare's Wirkung, pp. 56- 
57). For Landby's attitude toward Beauf ord and Grati- 
ana, cf. Benedick, Much Ado about Nothing, IV, 1, etc. 
Landby is more convincing than Shakespeare's character. 

Sc. 2. Rawbone's wooing Jane in legal terminology is 
drawn on in Honoria and Mammon, III, 2. For his dating 
his document, see the discussion of the date of the play. 
Cf. his critical remarks (p. 406) with Catherina's, The 
Bird in a Cage, IV, 2. For Jane's jeering him, see Chap. 
IV, Sect. 20. See under The Humorous Courtier, II, 2, 
IV, 2, V, 3 (Volterre) for Lodam's learning. Cf. also Dog- 
berry and Verges, Much Ado About Nothing, III, 3, 5, 
IV, 2, V, 1 (as general parallels), and Sebastian and 
Launcelot in Monsieur Thomas, I, 2, etc. For his "pocas 
palabras" (p. 408), cf. The Spanish Tragedy, III, 14, and 
note "pauca verba," The Merry Wives of Windsor, I, 1. 

The challenging of Lodam by Rawbone, the former of 
whom thinks the other a coward, while the latter intends 
his servant to fight for him, is based upon Twelfth Night, 
III, 2, 4. There Sir Toby influences Sir Andrew to chal- 
lenge Viola in disguise as Cesario, by alleging the sup- 
posed man to be a coward, and then, after having fright- 
ened the last with tales of Sir Andrew's prowess, in turn 
tells Sir Andrew of " Cesario 's" skill with the sword. 
Note also Epiccene, IV, 2, for two cowards who are afraid 
of each other. 1 Rawbone's substitution of Haver for him- 

i The expression "molecatcher" (p. 410) is similarly applied in 
The Ball. II. 2. 



328 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

self has influenced The Witty Fair One, V, 2 (Treedle and 
the servants). For the mention of "swordmen" (p. 412), 
ef. A King and No King, IV, 3, V, 1, 3, Love's Cure, III, 2, 
The Guardian, I, 1. It should be noted that this scene as 
far as Lodam and Rawbone are concerned is a possible 
source for A New Wonder : A Woman Never Vexed, III, 1 
(1631), and The Combat of Love and Friendship, II, 4 
(1636). 

Sc. 3. Cf. Beauford and Sir John Belfare with Leonato, 
Antonio, and Claudio, Much Ado about Nothing, V, 1. In 
both the enraged father, whose daughter, deserted on her 
wedding-day, is supposed dead, meets the bridegroom and 
challenges him. Like the old men in Much Ado, Belfare 
harps on his age and insists he is not too old to fight. 
For the news of Gratiana 's ' ' death, ' ' cf . ibid. 

Act IV, Sc. 1, which is concerned purely with the ad- 
vancing of the action of the play, has apparently no paral- 
lels, save for the intercepted letter (see under Love Tricks, 
II, 2). 

Sc. 2 is concerned with Milliscent's telling Gratiana of 
Marwood's part in her unhappiness. 

Sc. 3. Lodam 's sending Camelion (who is now in his 
service) to look for Rawbone recalls Sir Hugh's asking 
Simple to keep watch for Caius, The Merry Wives of Wind- 
sor, III, 1 (note also II, 3). Cf. Lodam 's fright with Sir 
Hugh's "melancholies," The Merry Wives, III, 1. Note 
also Oliver's awaiting Young Flowerdale, The London 
Prodigal, III, 3. The actual meeting of the combatants 
seems to come from Twelfth Night, III, 4, IV, 1. Lodam 's 
surprise (after having been assured of Rawbone 's cow- 
ardice) at the bravery of Haver in his master's clothes, 
and his submission to him are close to Sir Andrew's going 
in search of the disguised Viola whom he thinks a coward, 
and his meeting instead Sebastian, her double, who, on 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 329 

being attacked, beats him soundly. Jawbone's imagining 
himself tried and condemned for Lodam's murder (pp. 
424-25) is utilized in The Traitor, III, 1. ' Other comic 
duels occur in Shirley's Contention for Honor and Riches, 
Sc. 3, Honoria and Mammon, I, 1, Captain Underwit, IV, 3. 
Cf. The Two Angry Women of Abington, IV, 3, The Fair 
Maid of the West, Part I, II, 3, The Little French Lawyer, 
IV, 4. For Landby's eavesdropping during the scene, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 30. Lodam's account to Landby of his 
opponent's injuries is based on Bubulcus' story, Love 
Tricks, IV, 6. Cf. his giving up his sword with Device, 
Captain Underwit, V, 1. Both incidents recall Roughman, 
The Fair Maid of the West, Part I, II, 3, Daw, Epicoene, 
IV, 2, Protaldye, Thierry and Theodoret, II, 2, Bessus, A 
King and No King, III, 2. 

Sc. 4. Beauford's melancholy is utilized in the sugges- 
tion of Aimwell's previous low spirits, The Witty Fair 
One, IV, 1. His ordering his lodging darkened so that he 
may " dwell in night" has some affinity with Sir Solitary 
Plot's habits in the later Example (I, 1, for instance). A 
parallel to Beauford's new way of living occurs in the 
life of Marcellina while mourning her husband, as de- 
scribed in Monsieur D 'Olive, I, 1, and represented, ibid., 
II, 1. The entrance of Milliscent as Marwood's kinsman 
and avenger seems related to Aspatia's appearance as her 
own avenger in The Maid's Tragedy, V, 4. Milliscent (or 
Lucibel) postpones, however, her duel with Beauford, until 
Gratiana shall have been cleared of the charges against 
her. Beauford's lamenting the supposed drowning of 
Gratiana after he has learned of her innocence recalls Ger- 
trude concerning Ophelia, Hamlet, IV, 7. Note Cardona's 
assertion of Gratiana 's chastity, as a variation of The Gen- 
tleman of Venice, V, 2. For the presence of Gratiana in 
the chest, cf. The Bird in a Cage, IV, 2, and The Night- 



walker, II, 3, as variations. See also Fortune by Land and 
Sea, III, 1, The Family of Love, II, 4, The Knight of the 
Burning Pestle, V, 3. Various instances of a similar use 
of a chest occur in the continental prose literature of an 
earlier date, generally in a comic manner. For Gratiana's 
resurrection here and that of Marwood, V, 2, following, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 29. 

Act V, Sc. 1. For Belfare's madness, see under Love 
Tricks, II, 2, and cf . Leonora in A Very Woman, II, 3, and 
Spinola in Imperiale, IV, 2 (1639). His appearance with 
Isaac and the Physician who comment upon his state seems 
based upon Lady Macbeth 's sleepwalking while the Gentle- 
woman and the Doctor watch her (Macbeth, V, 1). Cf. 
Belfare's "To the mind you can Apply no salutary medi- 
cine" with Macbeth 's "Canst thou not minister to a mind 
diseas'd?" ibid., V, 3. 

Sc. 2. Landby's pretended opposition to the marriage 
of Jane and Haver is later used in The Gamester, V, 2. 
Note the parallels in Pericles, II, 5, and a Fair Quarrel, 
V> 1. If either of these is a source, it is the latter. For 
Beauford's trial, see Chap. IV, Sect. 17. This scene is 
used again in The Constant Maid, V, 3. Marwood 's oppor- 
tune discovery of himself is paralleled there. See also 
How a Man May Choose a Good Wife from a Bad, p. 81, 
The Blind Beggar of Bednal Green, III, 2 [3, properly], 
The Fleire, V, The Coxcomb, V, 3, The Parliament of 
Love, V, 1, The Goblins, V, 5 (1638). Note the same in 
The Deserving Favorite, V, 1 (1629), and observe the dis- 
covery of the real murderers in The Lovers' Progress, V, 3. 

Intercourse with the wrong man or woman, usually on 
account of darkness, such as is revealed to have taken place 
here, is found also disclosed later in The Arcadia, IV, 3, 
and as pretended in The Gamester, III, 4, IV, 1. Cf. also 
Grim, the Collier of Croydon, II, 1, All's Well that Ends 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 331 

Well, V, 3, Measure for Measure, V, 1, The Fair Maid of 
the West, Part II, II, 1, A Maidenhead Well Lost, IV 
(1633), Sophronisba, IV, 1, The Insatiate Countess, III 
(interrupted), The Hog Hath Lost his Pearl, I, 1, The 
Witch, IV, 1, V, 3, The Changeling, V, 1, A Game at Chess, 
V, 2, The Queen of Corinth, V, 4, A Match at Midnight, 
V, 1, The Parliament of Love, V, 1, Albovine, IV, 1, The 
Hollander, V, 1 (1635) (attempted), Alphonsus, Emperor 
of Germany, IV, 1 (1636?), The Amorous War, V, 8 
(1639). Note also the appearances in Much Ado about 
Nothing, III, 3, although matters do not go so far as in the 
plays cited. For Milliseent as a woman in male disguise, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 32. For the use of the title of the play, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 31. See Love Tricks for epilogues by 
comic characters. Epilogues in prose (this to The Wed- 
ding is, save for a concluding couplet) occur in Endymion, 
Campaspe, Sapho and Phao, Gallathea, Midas, Henry IV, 
Part II, Antonio and Mellida, The Two Angry Women of 
Abington. 

II. The WItty Fair One 

There is no single source for The Witty Fair One. Ap- 
parently Bartholomew Fair furnished some hints for the 
plot which deals with Violetta and Aimwell, while Fletch- 
er's comedies of intrigue (such as Monsieur Thomas) seem 
to have influenced the story of Penelope and Fowler. 
There are also what may be traces of a recollection of Mid- 
dleton's comedies of London life (notably Michaelmas 
Term, and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside) in the play. The 
Brothers also exerts a strong influence upon the present 
comedy. 2 

2 See Swinburne's damnatory remarks concerning The Witty Fair 
One, The Fortnightly Review, April, 1, 1890, p. 463. For an ex- 
cellent judgement of Swinburne's appreciation (or depreciation) of 



332 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

The plot of The Witty Fair One runs thus: 
Sir George Richley has arranged a match between his 
daughter, Violetta, and a wealthy gull, Sir Nicholas Treedle. 
Violetta and Aimwell, a poor gentleman, fall in love. Sir 
George is warned of their affection by Brains, a confidential 
servant who guards Violetta. Her marriage is hurried 
along. Violetta forms a plot with Sensible, her maid, whom 
Sir George has dismissed as being privy to the love affair 
with Aimwell. Violetta goes out to shop, attended by 
Brains. Aimwell designs to kidnap her, but is forestalled 
by Treedle 's Tutor whom Violetta has encouraged in his 
suit to her. When the Tutor attacks Brains before Sir 
George's house, Violetta runs in, and Sensible dressed like 
her former mistress comes out, and is escorted away by 
Brains after he has put the Tutor to flight. Brains is ar- 
rested for assaulting the Tutor who then takes the supposed 
Violetta away in triumph. Sir Nicholas sallies out, rescues 
Sensible, and immediately marries her, thinking her Vio- 
letta. In the meantime, Violetta has met Aimwell and they 
have been married. A rather loosely connected subplot 
deals with Fowler and Penelope, Sir George's niece. 
Fowler, who pretends sickness, is visited by Penelope. He 
tells her that the same remedy has been prescribed for 
him as the Jewish physicians prescribed for King David. 
Accordingly, they arrange an assignation. Penelope, how- 
ever, on Fowler's appearance, attempts at first to put him 
to shame. Then she pretends to see signs of death in his 
face. He is treated as dead by his friends, in furtherance 
of Penelope's plot for his reformation, and goes finally to 
his own funeral. There, through Penelope's arraignment 
of him for his vicious life, he becomes penitent and receives 
her hand in marriage. The two other couples make their 

Shirley, see Nason, James Shirley, the Annotated Bibliography 
thereto affixed. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 333 

appearance and Sir George is reconciled to his daugh- 
ter and Aimwell, and Sir Nicholas to his wife, nee Sensi- 
ble. 

From the above outline it will be seen that roughly Shir- 
ley 's Aimwell = Jonson 's Wellborn in Bartholomew Fair; 
Brains = Waspe ; Sir George = Overdo ; Treedle — Cokes ; 
Violetta = Grace ; and Sensible = Dame Purecraft. Cf . 
Violetta and her relations with Treedle, with Hilaria and 
Bubulcus in Love Tricks (see Chap. IV, Sect. 40, for ana- 
logues to Violetta, and Penelope as well, as witty young 
women). Note Blithe and Nehemiah in The New Academy 
(1628). For Treedle and his Tutor, cf. especially Tim and 
his Tutor, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, Onos and his 
Tutor, The Queen of Corinth, Capritio and Miscellanio, 
Holland's Leaguer (1632), Asotus and Ballio, The Jealous 
Lovers (1632) (see also Chap. IV, Sect. 45). See under 
the discussion of Gorgon in Love Tricks for analogues to 
Brains. For Fowler as a vicious young gentleman, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 38. For Sir George Richley, the over- 
bearing greedy father, see Chap. IV, Sect. 42. Note Winni- 
fride as a maid's name in Michaelmas Term, and Jack 
Drum's Entertainment. Cf. Sensible, as a feminine clever 
servant, with Nerissa in The Merchant of Venice. 

Shirley uses the young man and woman who play various 
tricks upon each other, as do Fowler and Penelope, in the 
later Hyde Park, Example, and Constant Maid. Similar 
characters occur in The Ball and Captain Underwit, as 
well. Note also Maria and Petruchio, The Woman's Prize, 
the Lady and the Elder Loveless, The Scornful Lady, 
Frank and Jacomo, The Captain, Thomas and Mary, Mon- 
sieur Thomas, Dinant, Lamira, etc., The Little French 
Lawyer, Oriana, Mirabell, etc., The Wild Goose Chase, 
Clarindore and Bellisant, The Parliament of Love. 

Act I, Sc. 1. Cf. Richley 's description of Brains (p. 



334 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

279) with the characterization of Waspe, Bartholomew 
Fair, I, 1. 

Sc. 2. Gifford notes a likeness in the four lines of Aim- 
well's speech (p. 280) beginning with "Oh, my stars," to 
Helena's (whom he calls "Helen") " 'Twere all one ... ," 
All's Well that Ends Well, I, 1 (Gifford seems to mis- 
quote Shakespeare in his citation). For Aim well's appli- 
cation of Worthy's reference to cards to his own love- 
affair, cf. The Two Angry Women of Abington, I, 1, A 
Woman Killed with Kindness, III, 2, The Dumb Knight, 
IV, 1, The Spanish Curate, III, 4 (chess). Cf. Aimwell's 
florid description of Violetta's charms together with the 
same in III, 3, following, with Octavio's praise of Domi- 
tilla, The Royal Master, I, 2. Note The Wars of Cyrus, 
I, The Captain, III, 1, A New Way to Pay Old Debts, 

III, 1. His description of the effect of her singing upon 
the birds seems related to the contest of Parthenophill and 
the nightingale as described in The Lover's Melancholy, I, 
1 (1628) ; probably the latter is the source. Worthy's 
character of Richley recalls Plenty's description of his 
mode of living, The City Madam, I, 2. Cf. also the char- 
acters, Chap. IV, Sect. 21. 

Sec. 3. For the wit combats between Fowler and Pene- 
lope, here and in II, 2, see Chap. IV, Sect. 19, and cf. the 
later Gamester, III, 1. It is a development here from The 
Wedding, III, 2, apparently. Note also for the lady 's part 
Love Tricks, IV, 1, The Wedding, I, 2, III, 2, as containing 
the germ of Penelope's wit. The lines beginning "Your 
hairs are Cupid's nets . . ." (p. 287), are found in two 
forms in Shirley's Poems (VI, 459 ff.). This is an evident 
satire upon Davenant. The lines are almost literally quoted 
from a speech of Florello's in praise of Bertolina, The Siege, 

IV, 1. Davenant 's play under its earlier title, The Colonel, 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 335 

was entered for publication January 1, 1629-30, 3 so that 
it had been probably in existence for some little time. See 
under The Young Admiral, IV, 4, for a borrowing from 
The Siege. Other satire on Davenant occurs in Lady Ali- 
mony, I, 3 (1635) (Fleay, Stage, p. 358). Perhaps Hab- 
ington's reference to poets " blemish 'd with the stain Of 
impure life" (commendatory verses to The Wedding) is 
directed at Davenant whose features bore evidences of 
"impure life." It is going too far to say that Shirley 
hits at Davenant in his criticism of contemporary po- 
etry (see under The Bird in a Cage, IV, 2). For 
this satirical courtly compliment by Fowler, cf. Angel- 
lina, The Sisters, IV, 2, and note Treedle, III, 2, follow- 
ing. 

Fowler's views on women are drawn on by Horatio, The 
Duke's Mistress, II, 1 (see also Love in a Maze, IV, 2, V, 
3) and on marriage by Carol, Hyde Park, I, 2. Cf. Frank, 
The Fair Maid of the Exchange, p. 14 ff. Gilford's "ridic- 
ulous pun" upon salad and sallet (p. 289) is paralleled in 
Henry VI, Part II, IV, 10. Note the reference to horse- 
racing and Hyde Park (p. 290). Swinburne finds the 
source of Violetta's ambiguous message to Aimwell in The 
Fawn, III, IV (The Fortnightly Review, April 1, 1890, p. 
465). See, however, the list of analogues in Chap. IV, 
Sect. 28, both for the message and Aimwell 's interpreta- 
tion of it. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Cf. Mar-text, as Treedle 's chaplain with 
Sir Oliver Martext, in As You Like It. Cf. Treedle and 
the Tutor at lessons with the disputation of Sir Boniface 
and Sencer, The Wise Woman of Hogsdon, IV, 1, and Tim 
Yellowhammer and his Tutor, A Chaste Maid in Cheap- 
side, IV, 1. Note the reference to the expedition to the 

3 It did not appear, however, until 1673, in the Davenant folio. 



336 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Island of Rhe in 1627 (p. 293), and observe the Tutor's 
satire upon contemporary fashions (p. 294 ff.). 4 For the 
latter, cf. the later Lady of Pleasure, IV, 2. 

Sc. 2. Brains' fears of a plot against him as guardian 
of Violetta are utilized in more detail in The Example, 
I, 1, etc. (Sir Solitary Plot). His reference to Penelope as 
a sick maid that " wants a man to recover" her is em- 
ployed in The Sisters, IV, 4 ("She is sick of the younger 
gentleman") and is paralleled in The Sad Shepherd, I, 2 
("She's sick of the young shepherd that bekissed her"). 
Note in connection with Brains' use of the word "kick- 
shaw" as a derogatory nickname (p. 299) that it is em- 
ployed as a proper name in the later Lady of Pleasure 
(see also The Example, II, 1). Note the reference to 
Dametas and Pamela in The Arcadia (p. 300). An allu- 
sion to Sidney as a poet occurs in Love in a Maze, I, 2. 
For Brains' eavesdropping (at last successful), see Chap. 
IV, Sect. 30. 

For Fowler and Penelope, cf. I, 3, and the later Game- 
ster, III, 1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 19. Koeppel calls 
Clare's dubbing Brains "Old Truepenny" a recollection 
of Hamlet, I, 5 (Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 56). For 
Aimwell's character of Treedle (p. 306), cf. I, 3, and see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 21. The passage is thoroughly in the man- 
ner of the character-books. Koeppel, as cited above, paral- 
lels Aimwell's "He speaks words, but no matter" with the 
Queen's "More matter, with less art/' Hamlet, II, 2. The 
character is paralleled in Love in a Maze, I, 2. Treedle 's 
introduction is followed in manner in Love in a Maze, I, 2, 
and The Constant Maid, II, 1, where foolish suitors make 
their first appearances as such. 

Act III, Sc. 1. Cf. Brains' stealing Violetta 's letter 

* For his remarks on the study of other nations rather than 
England, cf. Freshwater, The Ball, III, 3. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 337 

with Edgworth's stealing the license, Bartholomew Fair, 
IV, 3. See under Love Tricks, II, 2, for the intercepted 
letter. For a somewhat similar bed-room scene, note the 
later Captain Underwit, IV, 5. 

Sc. 2. For the reference to a "twelvemonth and a day" 
(p. 310), cf. Every Man in his Humor, III, 3. Love's Hue 
and Cry, the poem provided for Treedle by his Tutor, is 
found in all the collections of Carew's poems. It occurs, 
however, with some variations among Shirley's own Poems 
(VI, 410-11), so it may reasonably be called his. Hazlitt 
and Ebsworth, however, assign the poem to Carew (Carew's 
Works, p. 128, Carew's Poems, p. 180, respectively). See 
Vincent (Carew's Poems, p. 259) and Schelling (Mod. 
Lang. Notes, XI, 273 ff.), who consider the verses Shir- 
ley's. Two other poems of Shirley's, it should be noted 
occur in Carew's works. Cf. Treedle 's betraying his not 
being the author of the poems with Montenegro, The Maid's 
Revenge, I, 2. Cf. Goosecap, Sir Giles Goosecap, V, 2. 
Cf. his buying his verses with the Compliment School, Love 
Tricks, III, 5. For Treedle 's original verses, see Chap. 
IV, Sect. 22, and note Angelina's criticism, The Sisters, 
IV, 2. Cf. Fowler in I, 3. Treedle does not quote (p. 
313) from the prologue to Cynthia's Revels, as Gifford, 
with his usual unscholarly inaccuracy, says, but from the 
epilogue. A possible reference to A Match at Midnight is 
made by Treedle (p. 313). 

Se. 3. For Aimwell on Violetta's charms, see under I, 
2. Brains' exchange of the letters from and to Aimwell 
as revealed here and in Sc. 5, recalls The Widow, I, 1, 2. 
Cf . the shattering of Aimwell 's expectations after his boasts 
to Clare with Jack Drum's Entertainment, II (Camelia's 
cold reception of Brabant). Note the laments over the 
faithlessness of lovers in Love in a Maze, IV, 1, and The 
Constant Maid, III, 4, IV, 1. Cf. Aimwell 's resolution of 



338 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

going to a tavern with Fairfield in the later Hyde Park, 
IV, 1. 

Sc. 4. Cf. Fowler's "illness," pretended in order to 
work upon Penelope's sympathy, with that of Marc- 
Antonio, Love's Pilgrimage, IV, 3. Note also the later 
Captain Underwit, III, 1, V, 4, as derived from this scene. 
Analogues more or less close occur in Englishmen for My 
Money, V, 3, Sir Giles Goosecap, V, 2, The Fair Maid of 
the Exchange, p. 49, A Mad World, My Masters, III, 2, 
The Woman's Prize, V, 1, The Triumph of Honor, Sc. 1, 
Monsieur Thomas, II, 1, II, 5, III, 1, 3, The Wild Goose 
Chase, IV, 3, Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, V, 3, Greene 's 
Tu Quoque, p. 554, The Parliament of Love, IV, 1, 5. 
Note Don Quixote, Part II, Chap. 21. Cf. Manly as a 
doctor with the Cousin in Shirley's Constant Maid, II, 2, 
and Fulbank in Honoria and Mammon, III, 5. Cf. the 
similar disguises which occur in The Fair Maid of Bristow, 
A Mad World, My Masters, III, 2, Amends for Ladies, V, 
2, Match Me in London, V, The Wonder of a Kingdom, 
II 1, III, 1, The Duke of Milan, V, 2, Goffe's Orestes, IV, 
6, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, II, 1, The City Wit, II, 2, 
etc., V, The Northern Lass, V, 1, The Court Beggar, IV, 3. 

For the pretended quickening of Fowler's pulse at Pene- 
lope's approach and Manly 's diagnosis of his "sickness," 
cf. The Queen's Arcadia, I, 2 (where the agitated person 
is neither ill nor pretends to be), and note Plutarch's Lives 
(Demetrius), V, 412 ff., Bandello, Novelle, Part II, Novel 
41, Painter, The Palace of Pleasure, Part I, Novel 27, Bur- 
ton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part III, Sec. 2, Mem. 
4, Subsec. 1. A parallel for Manly 's prescription for Fow- 
ler's complaint occurs in The Virgin-Martyr, IV, 1. Cf. 
also The Bible, Kings, I, I, The Seven Sages of Kome, 
Tale VII (Senescalus), The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part 
III, Sec. 2, Mem. 5, Subsec. 5. Penelope's questioning 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 339 

Fowler as to his previous dealings with women is used 
again in The Ball, III, 4. For Manly 's telling AimwelTs 
fortune, see under Love Tricks, Y, 1, and The Maid's 
Revenge, III, 2. Manly 's agreeing to poison Fowler is 
drawn on in The Constant Maid, II, 2. See also under 
The Humorous Courtier, V, 2. 

Sc. 5. For the discovery of Violetta's letter, see under 

III, 3. Letters are delivered by characters who believe 
their contents to differ widely from what they really con- 
tain in The Lady of Pleasure, III, 2, and As You Like It, 

IV, 3. Cf. with Sensible 's dismissal that of Felisarda, 
The Brothers, II, 1. Cf. Violetta plotting with Sensible 
the former's escape with The Brothers, IY, 3. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. Cf. Sensible 's revealing the plot for Vio- 
letta's flight with Jacinta's letter to Francisco, The Broth- 
ers, IV, 1. Note the parallel in Wily Beguiled, p. 295 ff., 
in which the Nurse tells Lelia of the plans for her escape 
to Sophos. 

Sc. 2. For Violetta and the Tutor, cf. Lelia 's encour- 
agement of Churms in order to facilitate her flight to 
Sophos, Wily Beguiled, p. 298 ff. Note also Holland's 
Leaguer, V, 2 (1632). For Violetta's pretending love for 
Treedle in order to deceive her father, see Chap. IV, Sect. 
6. Note Treedle 's mention of the footmen in connection 
with Startup, The Constant Maid, II, 1. Cf. Treedle 's 
allusions to the university scholars and their plays with 
Captain Underwit, I, 1. Note the mention of "Bartholo- 
mew fairings" (p. 333). 

Scs. 3 and 4 represent Fowler's assignation with Pene- 
lope. Note his allusion to the Summer Islands, because 
of their relation to The Tempest, and to Waller's Battle 
of the Summer Islands. For his being received with music, 
see under The Grateful Servant, IV, 4, 5. See under The 
Traitor, V, 2, for parallels to the stipulation of darkness. 



340 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

For Winnif ride's "cold," cf. The Brothers, IV, 3. For 
the test of Fowler, announced, p. 336, see Chap. IV, Sect. 
15. See under The Grateful Servant, III, 4, for Pene- 
lope's plot for Fowler's reformation. Fowler's making 
love to the (supposed) maid when at an assignation with 
her mistress recalls The Parliament of Love, II, 3. For 
his railing on the supposed Winnifride, cf. I, 3, and see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 20. Cf. Penelope's foiling Fowler's de- 
signs with Mrs. Wilding's plan, The Gamester, V, 2 (re- 
ported), The Little French Lawyer, III, 3, Eule a Wife 
and Have a Wife, V, 5, The Wonder of a Kingdom, IV, 1, 
The Captives, III, 3. Note also The Picture, IV, 2 (1629), 
News from Plymouth, IV (1635). Penelope's attempting 
to make Fowler believe himself dying has a general re- 
semblance to the rejuvenating of Rufaldo, Love Tricks, I, 
1. Closer parallels occur in the doubtful Love's Pilgrim- 
age, IV, 3, Roister Doister, III, 3, Every Man in his Hu- 
mor, IV, 6, Epicoene, IV, 2, The Woman's Prize, III, 4, 
The Humorous Lieutenant, III, 5, Rule a Wife and Have 
a Wife, V, 5. See also the Decameron, Day IX, Novel 3. 

Sc. 5. Cf. the attack of the Tutor on Brains by taking 
advantage of which Violetta escapes with the onslaught of 
Knockem and Whit on Waspe while Edgworth steals the 
license, Bartholomew Fair, IV, 3. Note Miscellanio in 
Holland's Leaguer, V, 4 (1632), as an imitation of the 
Tutor. The substitution of Sensible for Violetta is based 
upon The Brothers, IV, 3. Cf. for Violetta 's flight, Fair 
Em, III, 3, George-a-Greene, p. 260, Wily Beguiled, p. 
311 ff. 

Sc. 6. Cf. Brains 's arrest immediately after the escape 
of his charge with that of Waspe after the loss of the 
license, Bartholomew Fair, IV, 3. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Note Treedle's mention of his marriage 
license, and cf. Bartholomew Fair, I, 1, etc. For Treedle's 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 341 

mention of the Prodigal Son in the hangings, cf . The Lady 
of Pleasure, I, 2, The Constant Maid, I, 2, II, 1. Note also 
A Mad World, My Masters, II, 2, If This Be Not a Good 
Play, the Devil Is in It, pp. 325, 348 ff. (a prodigal in hell), 
The Hollander, IV, 1 (1635). For the excitement concern- 
ing Violetta's escape, cf. A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, IV, 
1, 2. Cf. Fowler's experiences while "dead" with Mi- 
chaelmas Term, V, in which Quomodo prowls about to 
see how his supposed death is taken. Cf. Fowler's strik- 
ing the First Gentleman with Rodamant in the later St. 
Patrick for Ireland, IV, 2, V, 1 (see parallels there cited). 
For Fowler's characters of those he sees while supposedly 
dead, see under Love Tricks, III, 5 (Infortunio in hell), 
and see Chap. IV, Sect. 21. 

Sc. 2. Treedle's desiring the Footman to kill the Tutor 
recalls Rawbone and Haver, The Wedding, III, 2. For 
the reference to the High German fencer, see under The 
Opportunity, III, 1. For Treedle's stealing away the 
wrong woman, see under The Brothers, V, 2. 

Sc. 3. The epitaph on Fowler's hearse To The Self- 
Loved Narcissus recalls Shirley's poem of Narcissus (VI, 
463 ff.). 5 For Fowler's conversion, see under Chap. IV, 
Sect. 10. For analogues to Treedle's marrying Sensible 
in the belief that she is Violetta, see The Merry Wives of 
Windsor, V, 5, A Trick to Catch the Old One, V, 2, Wit 
at Several Weapons, V, 1, The Captain, V, 5, The Mad! 
Lover, V, 4, Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, III, 4, Hol- 
land's Leaguer, V, 5 (1635), Wit in a Constable, V, 1 
(1639). Note that in The Brothers, V, 2, Estefania's dis- 
guise is penetrated before the wedding, as in The Guardian, 
IV, 2. This scene is drawn on again by Shirley in Love 

5 Narcissus, the Fountain of Love, was assigned by Mrs. Burre 
to John Spencer, July 3, 1630. What this entry in the Stationers' 
register refers to is uncertain. 



342 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

in a Maze, V, 5. See also Captain Underwit, V, 4, and 
The Variety, V, 1. Note in regard to Treedle's calling 
Sensible "lady-bird," the title given the disguised page in 
Love in a Maze. Violetta in the expression, "wit without 
Brains," perhaps refers to Wit Without Money. 

III. Love in a Maze 

It seems from the prologue and epilogue that The 
Changes, or Love in a Maze, was written for the King's 
Revels Company, who were acting at the time of its li- 
censing (January 10, 1631-32), at the Salisbury Court 
Theatre. The players were probably desirous of recouping 
their fortunes by the presentation of a comedy from one 
of the chief dramatists of the day (cf. Murray, Eng. Dram. 
Cos., I, 219-20). The certainty of the acting of this play 
by other than the Queen's Men in 1631-32 is a strong 
point against those who argue that Shirley did not write 
The Brothers in 1626 for the King's Company (see under 
The Politician and The Brothers) . 

The plot of Love in a Maze runs thus: 

Chrysolina and Aurelia, daughters to Goldsworth, both 
love Gerard, a gentleman, who loves both but who can- 
not choose between them. Their ambitious mother designs 
to marry Aurelia to Sir Gervase Simple, a foolish knight. 
Thornay, who is privately betrothed to Eugenia, falls in 
love with the sisters also. He and Gerard arrange that 
no matter which the former shall select, the latter shall 
be content with the remaining sister. Thornay pretends 
that Chrysolina does not love Gerard but loves him. 
Gerard now courts Aurelia. In the meantime, Eugenia is 
designed by her uncle, Sir John Woodhamore, to marry 
Yongrave, who loves her. She employs Yongrave to beg 
Thornay, whom she loves, to return to her. Chrysolina 
learns of Thornay 's perfidy, and of Yongrave 's nobility, 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 343 

so she dismisses the former and begins to love the latter. 
Thornay now returns to Eugenia, while Yongrave con- 
soles himself with Chrysolina. Out of love for Chryso- 
lina, Aurelia has rejected Gerard, but learning of her sis- 
ter's passion for Yongrave, she becomes reconciled with 
Gerard. Sir Gervase, meantime, having been refused by 
Aurelia is attracted by a page introduced as "Lady Bird" 
by Caperwit, a facetious poetaster, who is also a suitor to 
the sisters, and pays his addresses to "her." By the con- 
nivance of Yongrave Thornay is married to Eugenia. 
Gerard and Yongrave marry Aurelia and Chrysolina, while 
Sir Gervase who has gone through a ceremony with "Lady 
Bird" discovers "her" true sex, and is properly con- 
founded. 

Love in a Maze, which, as far as the intricate plot and 
tangled love-threads go, furnished some hints for The 
Court Secret, 6 shows a strong influence of The Lovesick 
Court of Brome (1627) upon the love entanglements of 
Gerard. Shirley has introduced new complications by the 
reversal of the situation (in Brome 's play, a lady cannot 
choose between two supposed brothers), and by the intro- 
duction of new characters. For the foolish Mrs. Golds- 
worth, with her pressing Sir Gervase as a suitor to Aurelia, 
Eastward Ho appears to have been drawn upon. There 
seems in the entanglement of the love-affairs a suggestion 
of the typical pastoral (a form popular at court about this 
time). See Chap. Ill for comments on the fickleness shown 
by various characters. 

For the simple Sir Gervase and his man Thump, the 
Page as Lady Bird, and Woodhamore as a tyrannical par- 
ent, see Chap. IV, Sects. 45, 41, and 42. Cf. Goldsworth 
with Touchstone in Eastward Ho. Note that he is prej- 

e Glapthorne's Ladies' Privilege (1635) is, in part, founded upon 
Love in a Maze. 



344 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

udiced against Sir Gervase as the latter is toward Sir 
Petronel. Cf. Mrs. Goldsworth with the foolish ambitious 
citizens' wives, such as Mrs. Touchstone in Eastward Ho. 
Note also as parallels Fallace in Every Man out of his 
Humor, Chloe in The Poetaster, Mrs. Yellowhammer in A 
Chaste Maid in Cheapside, and Lady Frugal in The City 
Madam. Caperwit is later used by Shirley (with varia- 
tions) in the Confident Rapture of The Example. Cf. 
Civet in The London Prodigal, Geron ("a humorous cox- 
comb and a scholar") in The Lovesick Court, Crazy in 
The City Wit. 

Act I, Sc. 1. For the eavesdropping of Goldsworth and 
Woodhamore, cf. Ill, 3, IV, 1, 3, V, 1, and see. Chap. IV, 
Sect. 30. The brief character of Simple (p. 277) is based 
on that of Treedle, The Witty Fair One, II, 2. See Chap. 
IV, Sect. 21. 

Sc. 2. Note in connection with the dialogue of Simple 
and Thump, Treedle 's " lesson," The Witty Fair One, II, 

1. For the mention of the "gingling" of spurs (p. 277) 
cf. Every Man out of his Humor, II, 1, Monsieur D 'Olive, 
III, 1, The Jealous Lovers, I, 2 (1632). Cf. Simple's in- 
troduction with that of Treedle, The Witty Fair One, II, 

2. Simple's pun on the mullet in his coat of arms recalls 
The Merry Wives of Windsor, I, 1 (note Simple is there 
a servant's name). The little dispute between Goldsworth 
and his wife concerning Simple suggests Touchstone and 
Mrs. Touchstone regarding Sir Petronel, Eastward Ho, 
1, 1. Cf . also The Fair Maid of the Exchange, p. 59. Note 
for Caperwit 's introduction, Haircut, The Lady of Pleas- 
ure, I, 2. Note the pun on "corantos" (p. 282), and see 
under The Gamester, III, 3. For Caperwit 's compliments, 
cf. Fowler's satire, The Witty Fair One, I, 3, and note 
Confident Rapture in the later Example, I, 1. See also 
Device, Captain Underwit, II, 2. Koeppel derives Aurelia's 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 345 

playing on his salutation from Boyet's "daughter-beaming 
eyes," Love's Labor's Lost, V, 2 (Shakespeare's Wirkung, 
p. 59). For the reference to Sidney (p. 284), cf. The 
"Witty Fair One, II, 2. Note the reference also to Chaucer. 
For Simple's bashfulness and his requiring his servant's 
aid in his courting (in II, 2, also), cf. Slender, The Merry 
Wives of Windsor, I, 1, Bubble, Greene's Tu Quoque, p. 
556, Asotus, The Jealous Lovers, I, 8 (1632), Pupillus, The 
Noble Stranger, III (1638). Note also Belleur, The Wild 
Goose Chase, II, 3, Holdfast and Shallowit, Wit in a Con- 
stable, IV, 1 (1639), and Capritio, Holland's Leaguer, III, 
3 (1632). Note that Simple, as before mentioned, is the 
name of Slender 's servant and that Gervase is the Chris- 
tian name of Bubble's man, both of whom encourage their 
respective masters in their courtships, as cited above. Cf. 
the compliments of Caperwit to Simple with those of Hedon 
and Asotus, Cynthia's Revels, I, 1. Cf. Simple's admira- 
tion of Caperwit 's oaths with Every Man in his Humor, 
III, 1, A Fair Quarrel, IV, 1. The mention of Caperwit 
as a "vainglorious flash" (p. 286) recalls Sir Petronel 
Flash in Eastward Ho. See Histriomastix, II, 1, for an 
allusion to him. The situation of Chrysolina and Aurelia 
in love with the same man is a reversal of The Lovesick 
Court, I, 2, where Philargus and Philocles, supposed broth- 
ers, love the same woman. Gerard's inability to choose 
between the two is a reversal of Eudina's situation, ibid. 
Parallels are The Lovers' Progress, I, 2, The Two Noble 
Kinsmen, III, 6, IV, 2, Randolph's Amyntas, I, 1. Note 
also Antonio's hesitation between the sisters, The Maid's 
Revenge, I, 2, and Jacinta's pretense of wavering between 
her suitors, The Example, III, 1. See The Ball, I, 2, and 
Phillis of Scyros, II, 2. 

Act II, Sc. 1. For Thornay's agreeing to bear Eugenia's 
love-message to his rival, Yongrave, see Chap. IV, Sect. 5. 



346 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Sc. 2. Cf. the discussion by Chrysolina and Aurelia 
of their love for Gerard with Philargus and Philoeles, The 
Lovesick Court, II, 1, where each woos Eudina for the 
other. Note The Ball, I, 2, for a use of this scene. Cf. 
Aurelia 's offering to die for her sister (p. 295) with Philo- 
eles' preferring death to the loss of Philargus' friendship, 
The Lovesick Court, I, 2. For the attempts of each to 
resign Gerard to the other, cf. the later Gamester, IV, 2, 
and the doubtful Phillis of Scyros, IV, 3. See also, Chap. 
IV, Sect. 4. Cf. Gerard's soliloquy with that of Eudina, 
The Lovesick Court, I, 2. Their questioning him as to 
which he loves and his answer are used in The Ball, I, 2. 
Cf. Eudina 's answer to Philargus, The Lovesick Court, 
III, 3. For Simple's courting Aurelia with Thump's en- 
couragement, see under I, 2. For his verses to her, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 22, and under The Sisters, IV, 2. See 
The Bird in a Cage, IV, 2, for the criticisms of poetry ut- 
tered by Goldsworth and Caperwit. Eckhardt considers 
the word " hatch 'd" (p. 301) as noted by Gifford, to be 
derived from Troilus and Cressida, I, 3 (Archiv., CXVI, 
408). 

Sc. 3. For the shifting back and forth of Gerard's af- 
fections between Chrysolina and Aurelia, see The Love- 
sick Court, II, 1, where Eudina accepts first one and then 
the other of the supposed brothers. Cf. also the spurious 
Phillis of Scyros, III, 1. For other occurrences of fickle- 
ness like Gerard's and Thornay's elsewhere in the play, 
see Chap. III. 

Act III, Sc. 1. For Simple's courtship of Aurelia, see 
under The Witty Fair One, IV, 2. Note the later Con- 
stant Maid, II, 3, and cf. Roister Doister, III, 4, Wily 
Beguiled, p. 261, Wit at Several Weapons, I, 1, Women 
Beware Women, III, 3, The New Academy, II, 1, IV, 1, 
'Tis Pity She's a Whore, II, 6, The Ordinary, IV, 3 (1634), 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 347 

The Lady Mother, III, 2. Koeppel derives Simple's use 
of "brief" and "tedious" (p. 309) from either A Mid- 
summer Night's Dream, V, 1 ("A tedious brief scene"), 
or All's Well that Ends Well, II, 3 ("that's the tedious 
and the brief of it ") ( Shakespeare 's Wirkung, p. 60) . For 
what Aurelia might require of Simple, see under Love 
Tricks, IV, 1, and cf. The Northern Lass, I, 6. For 
Aurelia 's pretense of affection for Simple (p. 310), cf. V, 
1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 6. Cf. the appearance of "Lady 
Bird" with that of Estefania, The Brothers, III, 2. Her 
entrance, which is a device of Caperwit's, suggests that of 
Mariana (introduced in disguise by Pinac), The Wild 
Goose Chase, III, 1. Cf. her opening speech with Meer- 
craft's directions, The Devil is an Ass, II, 1. Note in con- 
nection with the "lady's" name and those of her rela- 
tives, Mrs. Fitchow and Widgeon, The Northern Lass. 

Sc. 2. For Yongrave as Eugenia's emissary to Thornay, 
cf. II, 1, and see Chap. IV, Sects. 3 and 5. 

Sc. 3. For Chrysolina's eavesdropping, cf. I, 1, IV, 1, 
3, V, 1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. Yongrave 's exposure 
of Thornay to Chrysolina is used in a comic way in The 
Example, II, 1. Note also The Opportunity, V, 2. Chryso- 
lina's tolerance of Thornay is a sort of test of him and 
Yongrave, for which see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. 7 Note that 
by the end of this scene Simple, Caperwit, Thornay, Yon- 
grave, and Gerard have been cast off by their mistresses. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. Cf. Eugenia's mourning over the faith- 
lessness of man with Gerard, V, 3, IV, 3, and see under The 
Witty Fair One, III, 3. Here as in V, 3, songs are sung 
to allay melancholy. For Chrysolina's eavesdropping, cf. 
I, 1, III, 3, IV, 3, V, 1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. Yon- 

7 Swinburne makes the unusually absurd statement that Shirley 
was not a gentleman at heart because of Thornay's slander of 
Eugenia (The Fortnightly Review, April 1, 1890, p. 469). 



348 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

grave in the speech beginning " There's the honor of my 
service ..." (pp. 330-31) paraphrases Foseari's soliloquy 
beginning "Lest my own passion . . . ," The Grateful 
Servant, III, 3. 

Sc. 2. For Gerard's melancholy, see IV, 1, V, 3. Note 
Thornay's experiences at the university. His being in- 
tended for the church recalls Shirley's few years' experi- 
ence as a clergyman, and causes one to surmise whether 
there may not be autobiography here. Cf. Gerard's ideal 
commonwealth with Horatio's railing, The Duke's Mistress, 
II, 1, or The Witty Fair One, I, 3, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 
20. For Caperwit's criticism of masques in plays, see V, 
5, following, The Royal Master, II, 1, The Bird in a Cage, 
IV, 2, The Coronation, IV, 3. Cf. the later Lady Mother, 
II, 1 (1635). Note in Chap. IV, Sect. 18, how Shirley 
introduced masques into his own plays. 

Sc. 3. For Aurelia's misinterpretation of Chrysolina's 
previous speeches as revealed, p. 341, see Chap. IV, Sect. 
27. See under The Constant Maid, I, 1, for Simple's 
quotations from The Spanish Tragedy, III, 2, 12. Cf. 
I, 1, III, 3, IV, 1, V, 1, for the eavesdropping of Caperwit 
and Yongrave, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. Note Caper- 
wit's bombast (p. 343), and cf. Love Tricks, III, 5. For 
Simple's boasts of the favors he has received from "Lady 
Bird," see under Love Tricks, V, 3. See Chap. IV, Sect. 
1, for Chrysolina's admitting to Yongrave her love for him. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Cf. Woodhamore's surprising Eugenia 
and Thornay with Catalina's surprising Berinthia and 
Antonio, The Maid's Revenge, II, 2. For Eugenia's pre- 
tense of love for Yongrave to deceive her uncle, cf. Ill, 
1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 6. The trick by which the mar- 
riage of Eugenia to Thornay instead of Yongrave is ac- 
complished seems suggested by A New Way to Pay Old 
Debts, IV, 1, 3. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 349 

Sc. 2 is principally concerned with the arranging for 
Caperwit 's masque, V, 5. 

Sc. 3. For Gerard's misanthropy, see under IV, 1 (Eu- 
genia), 2, and cf. The Constant Maid, IV, 1. For the allu- 
sion to the golden arrow in the song, cf . The Virgin-Martyr, 
I, 1, as Gilford suggests, and see under Cupid and Death. 

Sc. 4. The crossing of the stage by the various couples 
on their way to be married recalls the flight of Francisco 
and Jacinta, The Brothers, IV, 4. 

Sc. 5. For Caperwit as a conjurer, see under The 
Maid's Revenge, III, 2. Cf. Mrs. Goldsworth's foolish 
interruptions with the comments of the Citizen's Wife, 
The Knight of the Burning Pestle. The denouement of the 
play comes in Caperwit 's masque, for which cf. especially 
A Woman is a Weathercock, V, 2, and The City Wit, V, 
in both of which cases of gulling occur. Note also the 
later Constant Maid, IV, 3, Northern Lass, II, 6, and Lady 
Mother, V, 2. See also under The Cardinal, III, 2, for 
the masque as a vehicle for various elements, and note The 
Hector of Germany, V, 5. For Simple's marriage to the 
Page as Lady Bird, see under Love Tricks, IV, 1, and 
for the exposure of his lies concerning his intimacy with 
"her," see ibid., V, 3. For the evidences of Simple's hav- 
ing purchased his knighthood (p. 364), cf. I, 1, and note 
Sir Petronel Flash in Eastward Ho, IV, 1, Sir Abraham 
Ninny in A Woman is a Weathercock, I, 2, Sir Phillip 
Luckless in The Northern Lass, I, 4. See The Variety, 
IV, 1, The Fleire, III, 1, The Turk, II, 3 (and Adams' 
note thereto, p. 86), The Alchemist, II, 1. 

IV. Hyde Park 

Roughly, the difference between Hyde Park and The 
Witty Fair One is the same as that between The Scornful 
Lady and Monsieur Thomas. In place of the lady who 



350 SHIRLEY'S PLAYS AND THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 

strives to escape the snares set for her by a debauchee, we 
have the lady who is led by innate perversity to try to 
escape marriage with an honest suitor. Note The Taming 
of the Shrew (the lady is scornful after marriage, also), 
Much Ado About Nothing, Greene's Tu Quoque, A Cure 
for a Cuckold, The Little French Lawyer, Rule a Wife 
and Have a Wife (here the wife learns to love her hus- 
band), The Combat of Love and Friendship (see dramatis 
persona?) (1636), The Fool Would Be a Favorite (1638), 
The Obstinate Lady (1638-39) (two representatives). 
The Enoch Arden story which occurs in Hyde Park is 
found also with variations in The Shoemakers' Holiday 
(where Lacy is a name), What You Will, 8 The Witch, A 
Cure for a Cuckold, A Wife for a Month (V, 3). Hyde 
Park is one of a small group of plays dating from about 
1632 and dealing with some London locality, the name of 
which occurs in the title of the play. Cf. Bartholomew 
Fair (1614), Covent Garden (1632), Tottenham Court 
(1633), The Weeding of the Covent Garden (1632), The 
Sparagus Garden (1635). 

The plot of Hyde Park runs as follows: 

Mrs. Bonavent, whose husband is thought to have been 
lost at sea, consents to marry Lacy. Her cousin, Carol, a 
witty young woman with three suitors — Fairfield, Venture, 
and Rider, — attempts to dissuade her from marrying. 
Carol is courted by Fairfield but jeers him, as she does 
Venture and Rider. Fairfield resolves to tame Carol, so 
he asks her a boon which she grants. This he reveals to 
be that she shall neither love him nor ask his company. 
On going to the races in Hyde Park, Carol sees Fairfield 
with his sister whom she does not know. Becoming jealous, 

8 Swinburne (The Fortnightly Review, April 1, 1890, p. 470) 
derives the return of Bonavent in the present play from What You 
Will. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 351 

she sends for him, but rails at him on his appearance. To 
Carol's consternation, he departs in a passion. After the 
races, she receives a despondent letter from Venture in 
which he threatens suicide. She subscribes Fairfield's name 
to this and then sends for him again. She upbraids him 
for writing to her so, and then offers to make him amends. 
He is obdurate for a time, but finally yields and they ar- 
range their marriage. In the meantime, the missing Bona- 
vent has returned in time for his wife's wedding. After 
revenging himself for a slight put upon him by Lacy, he 
reveals himself to his wife, and later, in a masque, to the 
rest of the company. Also the jealous Trier who is be- 
trothed to Julietta, Fairfield's sister, to test her introduces 
Lord Bonvile to her. Under a mistaken idea as to her 
position Bonvile makes advances to her which are rejected. 
He is converted by her defense of her honor. She ends 
her betrothal with Trier because of his jealousy, and at 
the close of the play is inclining toward Bonvile. 

For Lord Bonvile, cf. the profligates listed in Chap. 
IV, Sect. 38. He is the first of Shirley's wild young noble- 
men in realistic comedy, such as Fitzavarice in The Ex- 
ample, and Lord A. in The Lady of Pleasure. For Carol, 
the sprightly witty young woman, her two foolish suitors, 
Venture and Rider, and the Page, see Chap. IV, Sects. 40, 
44, and 48. 

Act I, Sc. 1. The exposure of Carol's trick upon Ven- 
ture and Rider, regarding their presents to her, with their 
jeering each other and Trier's merriment at their expense 
is drawn on in The Ball, III, 2. Note as a possible source, 
the exposure of the Duchess 's suitors, The Humorous Court- 
ier, V, 3. See The Example, II, 1. For Bonvile 's cross- 
ing the stage, thus furnishing material for a brief char- 
acterization of him, see under The Politician, I, 1. Note 
that Trier uses the phrase "lady of pleasure" (p. 464) 



352 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

which is the title of a later realistic comedy (see also II, 3, 
following, and The Gamester, I, 1). 

Sc. 2. Cf. Carol's sentiments on marriage (pp. 469, 
475) with those of Fowler, The Witty Fair One, I, 3. 
Note also Meletza, What You Will, IV, 1. Carol's opin- 
ion of love (p. 470) is drawn on by Jacinta, The Example, 
II, 1. Cf. her reference to the " tedious tales of Holling- 
shed" (p. 471) with Miramont's "A dull old tedious ass; 
thou art ten times worse . . . than dunce Hollingshed, " 
The Elder Brother, II, 1. Note the allusion (p. 471) to 
Cupid's Whirligig. See Chap. IV, Sect. 19, for the wit- 
combat between Carol and Fairfield. Cf. especially The 
Scornful Lady, I, 1. 

Act II, Scs. 1 and 2. For the appearance of Bonavent 
and his being forced to join in the wedding festivities of 
his wife and Lacy, cf. What You Will, III, 1. 

Sc. 3. For Trier's test of the virtue and fidelity of 
Julietta, which begin in this scene, see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. 
Note, also, especially Fidelio's trial of Faustina, Holland's 
Leaguer, II, 2 (1632). Bonvile's conduct towards Julietta 
whom he thinks a prostitute recalls that of Clarindore to- 
wards Bellisant, The Parliament of Love, II, 3. Note that 
in Jack Drum's Entertainment, IV, Brabant Senior intro- 
duces Monsieur to his wife whom he has represented as a 
courtesan. Cf. the courting of Julietta 's woman by Bon- 
vile's Page with the addresses of Constantia as a page to 
Adriana, Ram Alley, I, 1. Note the later Gamester, II, 1, 
and Example, I, 1. 

Sc. 4. For the railing of Carol and Venture and Rider, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 20. Note that the ballad of The Devil 
and the Baker, mentioned, p. 487, is alluded to in The 
Bird in a Cage, III, 2. Cf. Fairfield's coming to take his 
leave with the Elder Loveless, The Scornful Lady, I, 1. 
His attitude of independence is that of Loveless, ibid., IV, 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 353 

1, V, 1. Note the reference to the brazen head (p. 488) 
and cf. Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay. A hint for his 
condition to Carol that she do not love him, etc., is found 
in The Brothers, III, 2. Cf. also The Lady Errant, II, 2 
(1635), Wit in a Constable, III, 1, IV, 1 (1639), The 
Queen of Arragon, IV, 1 (1640). See under Love Tricks, 
IV, 1, also for stipulations. Note the mention of the 
Sparagus Garden (p. 490 ). 9 

Act III, Sc. 1. For Trier's eavesdropping, cf. Ill, 2, 
and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. For Bonvile's advances to 
Julietta, cf. V, 1, and note The Parliament of Love, II, 3. 
Cf. Carol's jealousy of Julietta, whom she sees with Fair- 
field, with the Lady and Welford introduced by Loveless 
as his mistress, The Scornful Lady, V, 1. See under The 
Lady of Pleasure, III, 2, and cf. The Just Italian, II, 1. 
Note the footrace. 

Sc. 2. Cf. Carol's scoffing at Fairfield after having sent 
for him, and so having discovered that his determination 
in II, 4, was pretense, with The Scornful Lady, III, 1, The 
Wild Goose Chase, IV, 1, 2, A Cure for a Cuckold, IV, 2. 
Cf. her reception of Fairfield with the Sister's of Court- 
well, Captain Underwit, II, 2. For Trier's eavesdropping, 
cf. Ill, 1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. Cf. the oration put 
by Carol in Fairfield's mouth with that of Depazzi, The 
Humorous Courtier, IV, 1. Koeppel derives the camomile 
comparison (p. 502) from Henry IV, Tart I, II, 4, and 
cites a parallel to the figure in that play in The Miseries 
of Enforced Marriage, IV, 1 (Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 
70). Cf. The City Nightcap, III, 1, and Honor's Academy, 
Pt. V, p. 210 (cited by Scott [?], Anc. Eng. Dram., Ill, 
335, note) . Eckhardt draws the euphemism concerning the 
garter (p. 503) from Falstaff's reference to pitch, Henry 

» For the reference to Spring Garden (p. 490), see under The Ball, 

rv, 3. 



354 SHIRLEY'S PLAYS AND THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 

IV, Part I, II, 4 (Archiv., CXVI, 408). For Carol's 
geographical description of Fairfield, see The Comedy of 
Errors, III, 2, The City Wit, IV, 1, Holland's Leaguer, V, 
4, and note The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part III, Sec. 2, 
Mem. 5, Subsec. 3 (cf. Eckhardt, as cited above). See 
under Chap. IV, Sect. 20, for the railing in this scene. Cf. 
Carol's remorse here and in V, 1, at her treatment of Fair- 
field with that of Lady Frampul, The New Inn, IV, 3, V, 1. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. For the suggestive and appropriate cry 
of the cuckoo, here and in IV, 3, cf . A Cure for a Cuckold, 

V, 2. Note also Randolph's Amyntas, II, 5 (III, 3, 4, for 
other birds' cries). Fairfield proposes to elevate his spirits 
with sack (p. 509) as Aimwell does in The Witty Fair 
One, III, 3. 

Sc. 2 consists of a soliloquy by Bonavent. 

Sc. 3. This scene is memorable in being, according to 
tradition, the first in which horses were introduced on the 
stage (after the Restoration). Hence, Hyde Park is the 
ancestor of Ben Hur, The Whip, etc. Note that Kick- 
shaw's ''horsemanship in Hyde Park" is mentioned, The 
Lady of Pleasure, I, 1. The races are alluded to in The 
City Match, V, 2 (1639), and in Wit in a Constable, II, 
1 (1639). Rider quotes Margery Eyre's "But let that 
pass" (p. 510), from The Shoemaker's Holiday (observe 
that Dekker's play contains an Enoch Arden story). For 
the cuckoo's cry, see under IV, 1. Venture's racing song 
may have been supplied or suggested by Shirley's patron, 
the then Earl of Newcastle. For the reference to the cup 
at Newmarket (p. 513), see under Captain Underwit, III, 
3. Cf. Carol's commendations of the song and Venture's 
reception of them with Volterre, The Humorous Courtier, 
III, 1. Note the facetiousness of the Page (p. 515) as a 
sort of attempt at courtliness. Bonvile's description of 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 355 

the race (p. 519) which has taken place off-stage is related 
to the various narrations by a character on the stage to the 
audience of actions which could not be actually repre- 
sented. Cf. Rudens, I, 2 (shipwreck), Soliman and Per- 
seda, I, 3 (tournament), The Silver Age, III (death of the 
Nemean lion), The Brazen Age, p. 190 (hunt of the Cale- 
donian boar), Fortune by Land and Sea, IV, 1 (sighting 
a sail), The Captives, I, 3 (shipwreck), Julius Caesar, V, 3 
(battle), King Lear, IV, 6 (Dover cliff), Bonduca, III, 5 
(battle), The Double Marriage, II, 1 (sighting a sail), II, 
4 (escape of a boat), The Sea Voyage, I, 2 (shipwreck), 
The Hector of Germany, IV, 6 (approach of a ship), The 
Prisoners, V, 2 (1637) (shipwreck). Note also Dick of 
Devonshire, I, 3 (approach of a hostile fleet). For the 
lines (apparently quoted) with which Bon vile greets the 
triumphant Jockey, there is no source. Note the lost play 
of Titus and Vespasian (Henslowe's Diary, p. 14) and 
various poems on the same subject at various times (Dek- 
ker's Canaan's Calamity, for instance). Note that Bon- 
avent, like Freevil in The Dutch Courtesan, V, 1, makes his 
return known first to his wife but desires to remain in- 
cognito until he can work out certain plans. For his resur- 
rection here (cf. V, 2), see Chap. IV, Sect. 29. Note espe- 
cially also What You Will, V, 1, The Witch, V, 3, A Cure 
for a Cuckold, II, 3. For Carol's trick with Venture's 
letter, cf . the Duchess and the letter she causes to be forged 
as from Andrugio, More Dissemblers besides Women, III, 2. 
Act V, Sc. 1. For Carol's change of heart towards 
Fairfield and her lamenting to Julietta her previous cruelty 
towards him, see under III, 2, and cf . Much Ado about 
Nothing, III, 1, The Dumb Knight, II, 1. The mention of 
the amended letter and Carol's despatching Trier in search 
of Fairfield as its author parallel the Duchess' actions, 



More Dissemblers besides Women, III, 2, IV, 1, 2. For 
Julietta's defense of her virtue against Lord Bon vile in 
the following dialogue, see Chap. IV, Sect. 9, and under 
Love's Cruelty, IV, 2. See under The Royal Master, III, 
3, for Julietta's remarks on true nobility (pp. 529-30). 
For Bonvile's conversion, see Chap. IV, Sect. 10. Carol's 
advances toward a reconciliation with Fairfield and his 
cautious reception of them during most of the scene sug- 
gests the Lady and Loveless, The Scornful Lady, V, 1, 2. 
For his raillery, cf . Ill, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 20. Her 
production of the letter and his ignorance of it recall the 
Duchess and Andrugio, More Dissemblers Besides Women, 

IV, 2. The text of the letter itself suggests Orlando Furio- 
so's speech, Love Tricks, III, 5. For the reconciliation of 
Fairfield and Carol, note especially Benedick and Beatrice, 
Much Ado about Nothing, V, 4, Aspero and Florimel, Hu- 
mor out of Breath, III, 4, the Lady and Loveless, The 
Scornful Lady, V, 2, Lessingham and Clare, A Cure for 
a Cuckold, V, 2, Lovel and Lady Frampul, The New Inn, 

V, 1. Note also for the manner of their making their 
match, Tissefue and Crispinella, The Dutch Courtesan, 
IV, I. 

Sc. 2. Cf. Julietta's casting off Trier on account of his 
constant jealousy with The Humorous Lieutenant, IV, 8 
(not an exact parallel), The Bondman, V, 1, The Picture, 
3, and note The Fool Would Be a Favorite, V (1638) (sim- 
ilar in the matter of rejection). For the masque (such 
as it is), see Chap. IV, Sect. 18. Willow garlands are 
worn by masquers in The Northern Lass, II, 6. Cf. Sir 
Giles Goosecap, V, 2, The Wild Goose Chase, IV, 1, The 
Hollander, V, 1. Cf. What You Will, V, 1, and The Shoe- 
maker's Holiday, V, 2, for Bonavent's disclosure of his 
identity. See IV, 3, and Chap. IV, Sect. 29, for his resur- 
rection. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 357 



V. The Gamester 

According to Sir Henry Herbert (Officebook, as quoted 
by Malone, Shakespeare Variorum, III, 236), The Game- 
ster is founded on a plot suggested by King Charles to the 
poet. Whether the King is responsible for the story of 
Beaumont and Violante or that of Wilding and Hazard is, 
of course, not certain. The latter has always been con- 
sidered his, but there is no positive evidence of the fact. 

Langbaine gives the source of the intrigue of Wilding, 
Penelope, etc. (Ill, 1, 4, IV, 1, V, 1, 2), as a story in the 
Ducente Novelle of Malespini (Part II, Novel XCVI), and 
also notes the occurrence of the tale as Novel VIII of the 
Heptameron of Marguerite of Navarre (Dramatic Poets, 
p. 479). The fact that a French Queen and French man- 
ners influenced the court of Charles I, and that the Hep- 
tameron furnished partial sources for Love's Cruelty and 
The Traitor makes it probable that we have in Queen Mar- 
guerite 's novel the source for a part of The Gamester. 
There can, however, be no certainty as to the version of 
the story used, for, besides the form found in Les Cent 
Nouvelles Nouvelles (Novel IX), and the Decameron (Day 
VIII, Novel 4), there are many occurrences of it in Italian, 
French, and Latin (both in prose and verse). 10 For the 
various versions of the story see the Bibliophilists ' Society 
edition of the Heptameron, II, 217-18 (Appendix A). 

The plot of Shirley 's play is as follows : 

Wilding makes love to his ward, Penelope, who is re- 
lated to his wife. She promises to yield upon the condi- 
tion that he secure his wife's consent. Wilding asks his 
wife to urge his suit to Penelope, and she pretends to do 

io Miss Ott grants that judging from the play, Shirley could have 
used the Heptameron, as well as the Ducente Novelle (Die Italienische 
Novelle im Englischen Drama, p. 118). 



358 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

so, but, finding the girl obdurate, desires her aid in a plot 
for Wilding's reformation. Penelope then pretends to 
consent to her guardian's propositions and an assignation 
is arranged. Wilding, however, is gaming when the time 
to meet her arrives and, being unwilling to leave the dice, 
sends Hazard in his place, with the idea that the sub- 
stitution would not be discovered owing to the darkness 
and silence stipulated by Penelope. The next day, Hazard 
boasts to Wilding of the pleasant evening he has spent, 
and then Mrs. Wilding upbraids her husband for his de- 
sign upon Penelope and tells him that she had supplied her 
relative's place. In despair Wilding arranges a match 
between Hazard and Penelope, hoping that he may thus 
keep his predicament a secret. At last, he accuses his wife 
of infidelity, whereupon he learns that the two ladies had 
planned to receive him with lights and to attempt his con- 
version, but that on Hazard's appearance they had won 
him to take part in making Wilding think himself a cuckold. 
In the almost totally disconnected secondary plot, Beau- 
mont is supposed to have slain his friend Delamore. Sir 
Richard Hurry, father of Leonora to whom Delamore is 
betrothed, proposes to obtain Beaumont's pardon if he 
will marry Leonora. He refuses to do this, although Vio- 
lante, his mistress, offers to give him up in order to save 
his life. Delamore is announced then to be alive, and 
Hurry's proposition but a test. A farcical third story 
deals with the acquiring by Young Barnacle of a reputa- 
tion for bravery, and the cooling of his "courage." 

In Queen Margaret's tale (the version of the story which 
will be followed in this discussion) Sandras = Shirley 's 
Hazard; Bornet = Wilding ; a servant-girl = Penelope ; 
and Bornet 's wife = Mrs. Wilding. Shirley follows the 
story as told in the Heptameron fairly closely, where he 
uses it. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 359 

The situation of Beaumont seems modeled upon that of 
Beauford in The Wedding. There are also some touches 
from The Grateful Servant, apparently, both in the char- 
acter of Violante, and in the relations of Wilding and his 
wife. Cf. Wilding as a dissolute husband with Lodwick 
in The Grateful Servant, and note Chap. IV, Sect. 38. 
For Hazard, ''the Gamester," see the character so-called, 
in Essays and Characters (Bk. I, Character 15), by John 
Stephens, the Younger. Cf . Young Barnacle and his Uncle 
with Onos and his Uncle in The Queen of Corinth. See 
also Chap. IV, Sect. 45, for Young Barnacle and Dwindle. 
Note that Young Barnacle is Shirley's only genuine city- 
gull of the type of Brome's Toby in The City Wit, for 
instance. As has been noted (Chap. Ill), Old Barnacle is 
one of Shirley's few essays at a character definitely con- 
nected with business. For the Page, and for Penelope as 
a "witty fair one," see Chap. IV, Sects. 40 and 48. The 
injured and neglected Mrs. Wilding recalls Astella in The 
Grateful Servant. 

Act. I, Sc. 1. The conversation of Wilding and Pene- 
lope may be drawn from the persecution of the servant- 
girl by her master in the Heptameron tale. There seems 
a recollection of Lodwick 's pretended courtship of Astella 
(in earnest here), The Grateful Servant, II, 1. See also 
the courtship of Luciana by Antipholus of Syracuse, The 
Comedy of Errors, III, 2. Note Wilding's reference to 
subsidies (p. 188) as an allusion to a subject much before 
the public at the time of the play's presentation. For 
the eavesdropping of Mrs. Wilding, cf. IV, 2, and see Chap. 
IV, Sect. 30. Note that Astella eavesdrops in The Grate- 
ful Servant, as cited above. For the conversation of 
Mrs. Wilding and her husband, see under ibid. Wilding's 
asking his wife to procure Penelope for him recalls Lorenzo 
and Sciarrha, The Traitor, II, 1, and the parallels noted 



under that scene. Note also Fitzavarice and Lady Plot 
in the later Example, II, 1, Hippolito and Livia, Women 
Beware Women, II, 1, and cf. Mrs. Wilding's patience 
with that of Mrs. Arthur, How a Man May Choose a Good 
Wife from a Bad. Wilding's characterization of himself 
as a "coxcomb" (p. 192) may refer to the play of that 
name which bears some slight resemblance to The Game- 
ster. 

Note the pacific speeches of Wilding and Hazard (p. 
193 ff.)> as perhaps written in for the King's benefit. Cf. 
The Custom of the Country, II, 1, The Little French Law- 
yer, I, 1, and The New Inn, IV, 3. Note Old Barnacle on 
"blades" (p. 199) (for which see Chap. IV, Sect. 21). u 
For the uses of the term "lady of pleasure," cf. Hyde Park, 
I, 1. For the epithet to which Hazard takes exception (p. 
195), cf. the Colonel and Ager, A Fair Quarrel, I, 1. Old 
Barnacle's reference to his cudgel-playing in his youth re- 
calls Shallow's reminiscences, Henry IV, Part II, III, 2. 
Cf. Young Barnacle (described as a modest youth from 
the university) with Frederick in the later Lady of Pleas- 
ure, Tim in A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, Charles in The 
Elder Brother, Capritio in Holland's Leaguer, Holdfast 
in Wit in a Constable (1639). For Old Barnacle's plan 
to secure a reputation for bravery for his nephew, see un- 
der The Young Admiral, III, 1, and cf. The Imposture, II, 
2 The particular source here is probably Bawdber's hir- 
ing De Vitry to submit to an insult from Protaldye, 
Thierry and Theodoret, III, 1. 

Act II, Sc. 1. For Mrs. Wilding and the Page, cf. Hyde 
Park, II, 3. What she learns of her husband's habits 
agrees with the account of Bornet's infidelity in The Hep- 
tameron. Mrs. Wilding's laying her husband's suit before 
Penelope is ostensibly a courtship by proxy, but is really 

ii See also under The Ball, IV, 1. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 361 

a test (see Chap. IV, Sect. 15). Her asking Penelope to 
pretend to agree to Wilding's propositions is paralleled in 
The Heptameron. See under The Grateful Servant, III, 
4, for the plot which Mrs. "Wilding here sets under way for 
her husband's reformation. For Wilding's offer to kick 
his wife, see under Love Tricks, I, 1. 

Sc. 2. See Chap. IV, Sect. 26, for drinking scenes. For 
the fiddler's entrance, see under Love's Cruelty, III, 1, 
and note the throwing of wine in Sueno's face by Haraldus, 
The Politician, III, 3. For the use of the word "scolo- 
pendra" (p. 213) see The Duke's Mistress, where a char- 
acter bears that name. For the mention of "Erra Pater," 
cf. The Scornful Lady, IV, 1, The Elder Brother, I, 2, The 
Loyal Subject, III, 4, The Chances, IV, 3 (Erra Mater), 
The Queen, I. The quarrel between Young Barnacle and 
Hazard seems based upon Thierry and Theodoret, III, 1, 
where Protaldye, being affronted by De Vitry, strikes him 
according to previous agreement (see under I, 1). See 
The Young Admiral, IV, 1, The Doubtful Heir, V, 3, and 
The Imposture, V, 1, and note also The Fair Maid of the 
West, Part I, III, 2, Amends for Ladies, III, 4, Davenant's 
Siege, IV, 1. 

Sc. 3 is occupied with Sir Richard Hurry's pretense at 
forcing Leonora to marry Beaumont. 

Act III, Sc. 1. For the plans for the assignation of 
Wilding with Penelope, see under The Traitor, V, 2. The 
arrangements correspond with those in the Heptameron. 
Especially close analogues occur in All's Well that Ends 
Well, III, 7, IV, 2, Measure for Measure, IV, 1, and The 
Parliament of Love, III, 3. Mrs. Wilding's announcing 
to Penelope that she will meet Wilding in her place is 
paralleled in the Heptameron. For the witty passage be- 
tween Penelope and Hazard, see Chap. IV, Sect. 19, and 
note The Witty Fair One, I. 3, II, 2. 



362 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Sc. 2. Old Barnacle's remarks on widows (p. 229) 
seem suggested by An Hundred Merry Tales, VIII, IX. 
Cf. Honoria and Mammon, III, 3. Koeppel, however, con- 
jectures a recollection of The Wife of Bath's Prologue 
(Ben Jonson's Wirkung, p. 115, note). For the allusion 
to the Donzel del Phebo, see under The Maid's Revenge, I, 
2. Note that Young Barnacle never appears actively en- 
gaged in wooing Leonora. 

Sc. 3. For the crossing of the stage by characters who 
are commented on for the benefit of the audience, see under 
The Politician, I, 1. Here formal characters are given, for 
which see Chap. IV, Sect. 21. The description of the Lord 
is borrowed from in The Example, I, 1, and The Lady of 
Pleasure, I, 1. For his dancing while walking, cf. Sir 
Toby's advice to Sir Andrew, Twelfth Night, I, 3. 12 

The Coranto, which Young Barnacle reads as he enters, 
is mentioned in Love in a Maze, I, 2, The Ball, IV, 3, The 
Staple of News, I, 2, The Noble Soldier, IV, 2, The Late 
Lancashire Witches, prologue (1633), The Ordinary, IV, 
1 (1634), The Lady's Trial, I, 1 (1638). See also "Coran- 
tos or Weekly News," Character XII, in Lup ton's Coun- 
try Carbonadoed and Quartered into Characters (1632), 
Jonson's Execration upon Vulcan, and A Young Man 
Courting an Old Widow, in Musarum Deliciae. A satirical 
comedy by Brathwaite called Mercurius Britannicus was 
printed in 1641. For the "news . . . from Terra Incog- 
nita," see The Ball, V, 1, The Example, IV, 1, V, 1, 
The Variety, I, 1, Law Tricks, IV, 2, Wit Without Money, 
II, 4, The Chances, III, 1, A Wife for a Month, II, 1, The 
Staple of News, I, 2, III, 1, News from Plymouth, IV 
(1635), The Ladies' Privilege (1635), I, 1 (Frangipan's 
news), Wit in a Constable, V, 1 (1639), The London 

12 See under The Ball, II, 2, for the jest upon his head of hair 
(page. 234). 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 363 

Chanticleers, Sc. 6 (1637), The Obstinate Lady, II, 1 
(1638-39). Note the satire on newspapers in Love Tricks, 
I, 1, and see The Example, IV, 1. 

Sc. 4. For the various gamblers coming from play and 
discussing their fortune, cf . The Wise Woman of Hogsdon, 

I, 1. Gaming is represented on the stage also in The Nice 
Wanton, p. 465 ff., Michaelmas Term, II, 1, Your Five Gal- 
lants, II, 3, A Christian Turned Turk, I, 1, Valentinian, 

II, 1, A New Wonder : A Woman Never Vexed, II, 1, and is 
described in The Lady of Pleasure, V, 1. Wilding's send- 
ing Hazard to meet Penelope in his place differs from the 
Heptameron novel in that there the husband meets the 
supposed servant and then sends his friend in to her. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. For the blustering Young Barnacle's 
being cowed by Wilding's Page in a false beard, see, as a 
source, The Queen of Corinth, IV, 1, where Neanthes' Page 
roars Onos into abject submission. Cf. also The Fair Maid 
of the West, Part I, II, 3, Bonduca, IV, 2, The Little French 
Lawyer, IV, 5, The Maid of Honor, II, 1. Note also V, 1, 
following, Love Tricks, II, 1, The Imposture, III, 2, etc., 
All's Well That Ends Well, III, 6, IV, 1, 3, A Fair Quarrel, 

IV, 4, Thierry and Theodoret, III, 1. Pistol in the Fal- 
stafnan plays of Shakespeare is alluded to in the dubbing 
of the Page Ancient Petarre (p. 246). The Page's dis- 
guise doubtless suggested Ascanio as a Swiss, The Oppor- 
tunity, III, 1. For Dwindle 's typographical figure applied 
to the Page (p. 247), see under Love Tricks, I, 1. 

Mrs. Wilding's upbraiding Wilding for his profligacy 
and her informing him that she had taken her cousin's 
place on the preceding night are paralleled in the Heptam- 
eron as also her sprightliness, as noticed by Wilding (p. 
249). For the last, see also under The Grateful Servant, 

V, 1. Shirley introduced no ring, however, as does Queen 
Marguerite. For the apparent intercourse by mistake, see 



364 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

under The Wedding, V, 2. See under The Gentleman of 
Venice, V, 2, for "Wilding's conviction that he is a cuckold. 

Sc. 2. For the prison setting, see Chap. IV, Sect. 14. 
Cf. Hurry's attempt to persuade Beaumont to wed Leonora, 
whose betrothed he has supposedly slain, with the Colonel 
and his Sister, concerning Ager, who has wounded the 
former, A Fair Quarrel, IV, 2. See also under The Maid's 
Kevenge, V, and The Court Secret, V, 2. For Violante's 
eavesdropping, and her subsequent offer to release Beau- 
mont in order to save his life, see Chap. IV, Sects. 30 and 
4. Note also the later Court Secret, V, 2. 

Act V, Sc. 1. In Wilding's suggesting to Hazard that 
he marry Penelope as a reparation to her, there is a slight 
suggestion of Beauford and Marwood, The Wedding, II, 
2, but cf. Russell and Fitzallen, A Fair Quarrel, V, 1. 
Note also the King and Montalto, The Royal Master, IV, 1. 
According to Gifford, Hazard and Wilding refer (pp. 262- 
63) to the same story as does Timon, Timon of Athens, 
V, 1. Cf. The Gentleman of Venice, V, 4. Hazard's re- 
ducing Young Barnacle to submission may be founded 
either on Thierry and Theodoret, III, 1, where De Vitry 
strikes Protaldye, on the ground that blows with the hand 
were not in his contract, or on The Little French Lawyer, 
IV, 5. 13 See under IV, 1, and cf. Every Man in his Hu- 
mor, IV, 5, and Every Man out of his Humor, V, 5. 

Act V, Sc. 2. For the pretended test of Penelope by 
Hazard, cf. II, 1, later in this scene, and see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 15. The " trial" of Beaumont before Hurry suggests 
that of Beauford, The Wedding, V, 2. See also Chap. IV, 
Sect. 17. Cf. The Wedding, V, 2, for Hurry's seeming 
objections to Beaumont. For Hurry's giving Violante to 

is See under The Ball, I, 1, for the terming of Young Barnacle 
a "shotten herring" (p. 266); and see ibid., IV, 1, for "let it go 
round" (p. 267). 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 365 

Beaumont, see ibid., and cf. A Fair Quarrel, V, 1. Dela- 
more's resurrection, as reported here seems based upon 
that of Marwood, The Wedding, V, 2. See also Chap. IV, 
Sect. 29. For Hurry's test of Beaumont and Violante (p. 
276), see the beginning of the scene, II, 1, and Chap. IV, 
Sect. 15. Cf. Wilding's accusing his wife of unchastity 
with Mayberry, Northward Ho, I, 3. Cf. Hazard's account 
of the reception prepared for Wilding at his rendezvous 
with Penelope with that accorded Fowler, The Witty Fair 
One, IV, 3, 4. For Hazard's assertion of the virtue of 
Mrs. Wilding, see under The Gentleman of Venice, V, 2. 
See Chap. IV, Sect. 10, for parallels to Wilding's conver- 
sion. The title of the play is used in the text, as well as 
in the dramatis personce for which, see Chap. IV, Sect. 31. 

VI. The Example 

The Example, according to Stiefel, is based upon a Span- 
ish original (Romanische Forschungen, V, p. 196, note). 
However, as in all of Shirley's plays from foreign orig- 
inals, incidents and characters from the native drama have 
been drawn on. 

The plot of the comedy follows : 

Lady Peregrine, whose husband, Sir Walter, is with the 
army abroad, is courted by Lord Fitzavarice. He offers 
to cancel all of Sir Walter's debts which he has bought up, 
and, in time, to pay the others, if she will gratify his de- 
sires. She refuses indignantly, and, on his offering vio- 
lence, faints. Fitzavarice is now converted, and gives her 
her husband's mortgage. On returning to England, Pere- 
grine is informed by his wife that his debts are settled. 
When he learns by whom, transported with jealousy, he 
goes in search of Fitzavarice. He challenges the latter, 
but, before they can meet in the field, is arrested for debt 
through the machinations of Confident Rapture, Fitz- 



avarice's parasite. On learning of Peregrine's imprison- 
ment, Fitzavarice pays the debt for which he was arrested. 
Now convinced of his wife 's innocence, Sir Walter attempts 
a reconciliation with his benefactor, but Fitzavarice, on 
a point of honor, insists on the duel. Both are wounded, 
honor is satisfied, and they become friends. Fitzavarice, 
who has fallen in love with Jacinta, Lady Peregrine's sis- 
ter, is betrothed to her. Jacinta has been courted by Vain- 
man and Pumicestone, two foolish fortune-hunters, with 
whom she makes sport during th^ play, while Confident 
has wooed her with the intention of prostituting her to 
Fitzavarice, if his suit had been successful. The humors 
of Sir Solitary Plot, uncle to Jacinta and Lady Peregrine, 
who suspects a plot in everything furnishes some of the 
comic scenes of the play. He is cured of his suspicious- 
ness by a plot of Jacinta 's in which she employs Vainman 
and Pumicestone. 

Sir Solitary Plot is a Jonsonian humorist, pure and sim- 
ple, founded, it would seem, upon Sir Politic Would-be in 
Volpone. Like the typical Jonsonian character, his name 
is descriptive of his humor. Mendoza in the later Court 
Secret with his monomania is a personage of the same gen- 
eral type. Note Sir Solemn Trifle and Sir Furious Inland 
in News from Plymouth (1635) as humorists who are 
nearly contemporary. Lady Plot is a sort of first draft 
of Lady Bornwell in The Lady of Pleasure. Cf. Levi- 
dulche in The Atheist 's Tragedy, and Corisca in The Bond- 
man. For the dissolute Fitzavarice, the foolish lovers, 
Vainman and Pumicestone, and the witty Jacinta, see Chap. 
IV, Sects. 38, 44, and 40. Rapture is a combination of the 
ancient parasite (note Scentlove, etc., in the later Lady 
of Pleasure) and the wit (cf. Caperwit, Love in a Maze). 
Cf. also Balbus, Proculus, Chilax, and Licinius in Valen- 
tinian, Timon, Charinthus, and Menippus in The Humor- 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 367 

ous Lieutenant, Castruccio in The Double Marriage, Sorano 
in A Wife for a Month, Liladam in The Fatal Dowry. 

For the use of the title of the play in the prologue, note 
III, 1, V, 3, and the epilogue and see Chap. IV, Sect. 31. 
Collier surmises that the four lines beginning "Nay, he 
that in the parish" are based on Heminge and Condell's 
preface "To the Great Variety of Readers" prefixed to 
Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies (1623) 
(Hist. Eng. Dram. Poet, III, 347, note). 

Act I, Sc. 1. For the opening of the play, cf. Match 
Me in London, I (opening). For Sir Solitary's manner 
of living, cf. Marcellina, Monsieur D 'Olive, 1, 1 (described), 
II, 1 (represented), Epiccene, II, 1, 3, III, 2 (note Morose 
cries ' ' A plot ! a plot ! " ) . Note The Wedding, IV, 4. For 
Sir Solitary's "plots," note Brains, The Witty Fair One, 
II, 2, Fulbank and Maslin, Honoria and Mammon, I, 1, 
Asinus Lupus, The Poetaster, IV, 2, Sir Politic Would-be, 
Volpone, II, 1, IV, 1 (in each of these scenes a character 
named Peregrine is introduced), the Intelligencers in The 
Woman Hater, III, 2. Gifford asserts that Dormant al- 
ludes (p. 286) to Endymion in Endymion; note The Gen- 
tleman of Venice, V, 3. See under The Gamester, III, 3, 
for Dormant 's little character of Fitzavarice (p. 287). 
Cf. The Lady of Pleasure, I, 1, Captain Underwit, I, 1, and 
note Chap. IV, Sect. 21. See under The Politician, I, 1, 
for Lady Plot's crossing the stage with Confident while 
her husband watches them and comments on their conver- 
sation. Cf. his eavesdropping with V, 3, and see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 30. The Page's conversation with Lady Peregrine 
recalls Hyde Park, II, 3, and The Gamester, II, 1. For 
Confident's wooing Lady Peregrine as Fitzavarice 's proxy, 
see under Chap. IV, Sect. 3. See Chap. IV, Sect. 21, for 
his character of Fitzavarice (although it is not typical, but 
rather individual). Cf. Hippolito, Love's Cruelty, IV, 2, 



368 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

for Confident 's making love to the lady on his own account, 
and cf . Maria on tasters in the later Lady of Pleasure, II, 2. 
See under The Humorous Courtier, I, 1, II, 2, etc., for 
Jacinta's encouragement of him. For the attempt of Fitz- 
avarice to use Peregrine's debts as a means of gaining a 
hold on his wife, see under The Duke's Mistress, IV, 1. 

Act II, Sc. 1. For the bargain of Vainman and Pumice- 
stone as to their courting of Jacinta, cf. as a source Ubaldo 
and Ricardo, The Picture, III, 6. Note later Topsail and 
Cable, News from Plymouth, II (1635), Oreo and An- 
drolio, The Distresses, I, 1 (1639?). For the use of "kick- 
shaw" (p. 297), cf. The Witty Fair One, II, 2, and note 
Kickshaw in The Lady of Pleasure. Note the attitude of 
Lady Plot towards Fitzavarice as repeated with Lady Born- 
well and Lord A., The Lady of Pleasure. Lady Plot's as- 
sisting Fitzavarice in his pursuit of Lady Peregrine recalls 
Livia in Women Beware Women, II, 1. Note Mrs. 
Wilding's pretense of aiding her husband with Penelope, 
The Gamester, I, l. 14 For the alchemical terminology ad- 
dressed to Jacinta (p. 304), cf. The Alchemist, II, 1, as 
Gifford suggests. For her witty passages with Fitzavarice, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 19. See under Hyde Park, I, 2, for 
her sentiments on marriage (pp. 304-05). The attempts 
of Pumicestone and Vainman in turn each to injure the 
other in Jacinta's opinion are drawn from The Ball, III, 3. 
For similar incidents, see The Lady of Pleasure, II, 1, The 
Constant Maid, I, 2. Gifford notes under the former, The 
Picture, IV, 2, as a source. It is the source probably for 
the entire group in Shirley, although cf. Wit at Several 
Weapons, I, 1. Note Cartwright's Siege, IV, 1 (1637). 
For her playing off the two suitors against each other, see 
under Hyde Park, I, 1. Jacinta refers (p. 309) to a 
speech of Falstaff's, Henry IV, Part I, II, 4. Cf. The 

w For the siege figure (p. 302), see under The Ball, II, 2. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 369 

Shakespeare Allusion Book, I, 391, 283, 223, and Koeppel, 
Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 77. See also The Humorous 
Lieutenant, IV, 2. 

Sc. 2. Cf. II, 1, for Lady Plot's assisting Fitzavarice in 
his designs upon her niece. 

Act III, Sc. 1. For Fitzavarice 's advances to Lady 
Peregrine and her defense of her chastity, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 9, and under Love's Cruelty, IV, 2. Note the use 
of the title in the text (p. 313), and cf. the prologue, V, 3, 
and the epilogue (see Chap. IV, Sect. 31). For Fitz- 
avarice 's use of the dagger, cf . Greene 's Tu Quoque, p. 569, 
and see under The Traitor, III, 3. See under St. Patrick 
for Ireland, III, 2, for his attempt at rape. For his pre- 
tense of having been testing Lady Peregrine, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 16, and cf. IV, 2. Ward mentions Lady Peregrine's 
dream (p. 315) in connection with The White Devil, I, 2 
(Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 111, note). For the conver- 
sion of Lord Fitzavarice, see Chap. IV, Sect. 10. See 
under Love in a Maze, I, 2, for Jacinta's pretended inabil- 
ity to choose between Vainman and Pumicestone, and ob- 
serve that she proposes a test for them. Cf. Peregrine's 
jealousy on learning of Fitzavarice 's gifts to Lady Pere- 
grine with that of Othello, Othello, IV, 1, etc., Orleans, 
The Honest Man's Fortune, I, 2, Gomera, The Knight of 
Malta, III, 2, Foreste, The Cruel Brother, IV, 1 (possibly 
a source). See under The Gentleman of Venice, V, 2, for 
Peregrine's thinking himself a cuckold. Gifford notes the 
allusion to Tilly (p. 328). 

Act IV, Sc. 1. For the Page's use of "soldad," see 
under The Humorous Courtier, II, 2. Cf. Ill, 1, IV, 2, 
for Fitzavarice 's test of Confident, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 
15. Note the King's test of Montalto, The Royal Master, 
IV, 1. Confident's expression of his willingness, should he 
win her, to prostitute Jacinta to Fitzavarice recalls Allwit 



370 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

in A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, and Knavesby in Anything 
for a Quiet Life. See also under The Gentleman of Venice, 
IV, 3. For Confident's plotting the arrest of Peregrine 
to prevent the duel with Fitzavarice, cf . If You Know Not 
Me, You Know Nobody, Part II, p. 273 ff. For the refer- 
ence to Gallobelgicus (p. 335), cf. The Poetaster, V, 3, The 
Heir, I, The Fair Maid of the Inn, IV, 2, The Hollander, 

III, 1 (1635), Wit in a Constable, 1, 1 (1639), note Howell's 
Familiar Letters, I, 231, and see under Love Tricks, I, 1, 
and The Gamester, III, 3. An allusion to Wallenstein (p. 
335) is noted by Gifford. See under The Bird in a Cage, 

IV, 1, for extended allusions to contemporary events. The 
arrest of Peregrine seems to be based upon that of Proudly, 
who is arrested by prearrangement (but without the com- 
plicity of his adversary) as he is about to fight a duel, 
Amends for Ladies, IV, 3. Cf. also The Roaring Girl, 
III, 3, A Fair Quarrel, I, 1. 

Sc. 2. For the comic test of Vainman and Pumicestone 
set under way in this scene by Jacinta, cf . Ill, 1, IV, 1, and 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. The source of her requiring dumb- 
ness of Vainman is, as the reference to that play (p. 337) 
suggests, The Dumb Knight, II, 1 (silence is there required 
of Phylocles, not Pyrocles, as Gifford 's note states). Cf. 
for a comic test, Cartwright's Siege, IV, 6 (1637), and for 
the imposition of silence partial or entire, A Shoemaker a 
Gentleman, I, 3, III, 1, and The Combat of Love and 
Friendship, II, 4 (1636). Cleora in The Bondman, II, 1, 
vows not to speak until her lover's return. Note also The 
Queen, II, and The Fool Would Be a Favourite, IV (1638). 
An ultimate source in English is perhaps The Cruelty of a 
Widow, etc., Fenton's Tragical Discourses, Discourse XI. 
Shirley has comic conditions in Love Tricks, IV, I, The 
Witty Fair One, III, 4, Hyde Park, II, 4, The Ball, III, 4. 
For Confident's informing Fitzavarice (p. 341) of Pere- 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 371 

grine's arrest, note Amends for Ladies, IV, 3 (the recep- 
tion of the informants in the two plays differs). 

Sc. 3. For the prison-setting (an under-sheriff's house), 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 14. Cf. Peregrine's release through the 
efforts of Fitzavarice with that of Mountf ord in A Woman 
Killed with Kindness, IV, 2, and of Charlemont, The 
Atheist's Tragedy, III, 3. With V, 2, cf. the persuading 
of Peregrine to a duel with Fitzavarice with A Fair Quar- 
rel, II, 1, III, 1, A Cure for a Cuckold, III, 1, A Very 
Woman, 1, 1. Note also The Wedding, II, 2, and The Court 
Secret, IV, 2. 

Act V, Sc. 1. For Vainman as an ''ambassador from 
Dumbland," cf. Mute and Morose, Epiccene, II, 1. The 
attempt at curing Sir Solitary of his mania is derived pos- 
sibly from Peregrine 's trick upon Sir Politic, Volpone, V, 2. 
The trick upon Sir Solemn, News from Plymouth, V (1635) , 
is based on this scene. For masquerading before a mono- 
maniac, see under Love Tricks, III, 5. 

Sc. 2. Note that, as in The Maid's Revenge, IV, 3, the 
duellists (Peregrine and Fitzavarice) are related through 
the affection of the latter for Jacinta. Like Proudly, 
Amends for Ladies, IV, 3, Fitzavarice has no second. See 
under IV, 3, for the persuading of Peregrine to fight. 

Sc. 3. For the eavesdropping, cf. I, 1, and see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 30. Cf. the prologue and III, 1, for the occurrence 
of the title in the text here and in the epilogue, and see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 31. For the reconciliation of Sir Solitary 
and Lady Plot, see the later Lady of Pleasure, V, 1. 



Tl 



VII. The Lady of Pleasure 



^The Lady of Pleasure reverses The Grateful Servant and 
The Gamester, in which a husband is reformed by his 
wife's plot. In this comedy it is the wife who is brought 
to repentance by the contrivances of her husband. The 



372 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

play seems influenced most by The Noble Gentleman and 
The Just Italian. The parallels will be shown in the 
course of the discussion. 

The plot of the play follows: 
LLady Bornwell, who has persuaded her husband, Sir 
Thomas, to reside in London, plunges into the pleasures 
and dissipations of city life with such eagerness, that he 
warns her his estate will not bear her extravagances. She 
refuses to limit her expenses, whereupon Sir Thomas re- 
solves to cure her of her extravagance by pretending to 
become dissipated also. To arouse his wife's jealousy he 
pays court to Celestina, a rich young widow who is at- 
tracting attention by her reckless expenditures. Unknown 
to Lady Bornwell, Decoy, a bawd, tries to arrange a meet- 
ing between the former and her kinsman, Lord A. He 
sends a letter to Lady Bornwell in which he warns her 
against Decoy. However, Lady Bornwell uses Decoy to 
arrange a meeting for her with Kickshaw, a worthless gal- 
lant. The assignation is kept but without Kickshaw's 
learning who it is that has favored him. Instead of keep- 
ing silent about his mysterious mistress as he had promised, 
Kickshaw boasts of his amour. This, together with some 
twinges of conscience, some jealousy of Celestina, and the 
announcement by Sir Thomas that their estate will be ex- 
hausted in a month, causes Lady Bornwell to become peni- 
tent for her past way of living. In the meantime, Lord A. 
has visited Celestina, whose beauty he has heard praised, 
and has been attracted to her. She tests him and finds 
him disloyal for the time being to his dead love, Bella- 
Maria. He makes dishonorable advances to Celestina 
which she repulses in such a way as to convert him. 

For Lord A., cf. Bonvile in Hyde Park, and Fitzavarice 
in The Example, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 38. His clients, 
Scentlove, Kickshaw, and Littleworth belong to the same 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 373 

class as Venture and Rider in Hyde Park, for whom see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 44. Littleworth, it should be noted, is the 
name of the disguised Meanwell in The Ordinary (1634). 
The relations of Lady Bornwell (who has been mentioned 
in connection with Lady Plot in The Example) and Little- 
worth may have been developed from those of Marine's 
Wife and the Gentleman in The Noble Gentleman or of 
Alteza and Sciolto in The Just Italian. Her extravagance, 
and that of Celestina, recalls the profusion of Timon, 
Timon of Athens, and of Torrenti, The Wonder of a King- 
dom (see under I, 1, of Shirley's play). 

In Haircut, the barber, who masquerades as a courtier 
is an early example of what was afterwards a familiar 
figure — the menial as a gentleman (this does not consider 
exchanged identity, as in Supposes, The Taming of the 
Shrew, etc.). Barbers occur in Midas, The Dutch Courte- 
san, Epicoene, The Staple of News, Monsieur Thomas, The 
Knight of the Burning Pestle, The Fatal Dowry, The Love- 
sick Court, The Fancies Chaste and Noble (1635). Note 
that Haircut is neither a poltroon, nor a gull. Decoy, the 
procuress, is, unless we include the Maquerelle in The Tri- 
umph of Peace, the only person of her profession intro- 
duced in Shirley's plays. Cf. Splay in How a Man May 
Choose a Good Wife from a Bad, Mrs. Drury in A Warn- 
ing for Fair Women, the Abbess in The Death of Robert, 
Earl of Huntington, Maquerelle in The Malcontent, Faugh 
in The Dutch Courtesan, Cataplasma in The Atheist's 
Tragedy, Mrs. Overdone in Measure for Measure, the Bawd 
in Pericles, Birdlime in Westward Ho, Mrs. Horseleech in 
The Honest Whore, Part II, the Old Lady in Match Me 
in London, Mother Gruel in Michaelmas Term, the Courte- 
san in A Mad World, My Masters, Collaquintida in The 
Dumb Knight, Sweatman in Greene's Tu Quoque, Madam 
Gulman in The Poor Man's Comfort, Ardelia and Phorba 



374 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

in Valentinian, the Bawd in The Chances, Sulpitia in The 
Custom of the Country, Leucippe in The Humorous Lieu- 
tenant, Cassandra in A Wife for a Month, the Bawd in 
The Royal King and Loyal Subject, Mildew (a male bawd) 
in The Captives, Scapha in The English Traveller, Malaena 
in All's Lost by Lust, Secret in The City Madam, the 
Bawd in The Unnatural Combat, Calipso in The Guardian, 
Mrs. Coote in A Match at Midnight, Timpanina in The 
City Nightcap, the Bawd in Holland's Leaguer, Shaparoon 
in The Queen, Olympia in The Princess (1637), Veneria in 
Messallina (1637). 

Act I, Sc. 1. For the allusion to ' ' Sellenger 's Round," 
cf. The Fair Maid of the West, Part II, II, 1, The Late 
Lancashire Witches, III, 1, The Court Beggar, V, 2, and 
see p. 79, The World's Olio of Margaret Duchess of New- 
castle (quoted by Firth, Life of the same, p. 157, note). 
See The Noble Gentleman, I, 1, II, 1, and The Just Italian, 
I, 1, as sources for the Steward's and Bornwell's expostu- 
lations on Lady Bornwell's lavishness. Cf. also Timon of 
Athens, II, 2, The Scornful Lady, I, 2, Wit without Money, 
I, 1, The Elder Brother, I, 1, The Parliament of Love, I, 4, 
The English Traveller, I, 2. The incident is used again in 
Captain Underwit, I, 1. See also I, 2, following. For 
the extravagance of Lady Bornwell as described by her 
husband, cf. The Constant Maid, I, 2, Anything for a Quiet 
Life, I, 1, IV, 1 (pretended), and The Wonder of a King- 
dom, III. Note the references to The Ball and The Family 
of Love (p. 9), and cf. Captain Underwit, I, 1. For Decoy 
and Lady Bornwell, cf. Ill, 2, and note Calipso and Iolante, 
The Guardian, I, 2. See under The Example, I, 1, for the 
little descriptions of Kickshaw and Littleworth by the 
Steward and cf. II, 2, III, 2. See for characters, Chap. IV, 
Sect. 21. Kickshaw, Littleworth and Lady Bornwell con- 
cerning Celestina (p. 14) recalls Lucio, etc., regarding 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 375 

Mariana, Measure for Measure, V, 1. Bornwell's announc- 
ing that he will outdo his wife in revelry and her reception 
of the news seem based upon Altamont and Alteza, The 
Just Italian, I, 1. Cf. also Clerimont's changing his man- 
ner of living, The Noble Gentleman, III, 1. 

Sc. 2. For the expostulations of Celestina's Steward 
concerning his mistress ' extravagance, see under I, 1. 
Celestina's ordering new appointments for her coach sug- 
gests Maria, The Woman's Prize, III, 2. Gifford notes in 
connection with the gold-shod running-horse (p. 19), the 
mention of "Toby with his golden shoes," Hyde Park, 
IV, 3. For the allusion (p. 19) to the Prodigal Son in 
needle- work, cf. that to Joseph (p. 17), and see under The 
Witty Fair One, V, 1. Haircut's introduction of himself 
as a wooer recalls Caperwit, Love in a Maze, I, 2. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Bornwell's soliloquy in which he an- 
nounces that he will attempt to cure his wife 's extravagance 
recalls The Grateful Servant, III, 2, and the plans for 
reclamations of persons there listed. For the arrival of 
Frederick from the university, cf . A Chaste Maid in Cheap- 
side, III, 2, The Elder Brother, I, 2, The Muse's Looking- 
glass, IY, 2. Note Young Barnacle, The Gamester, I, 1 
(reported return from the university). See under The 
Humorous Courtier, IV, 1, for the reference to the foreign 
artist (p. 25). Note in connection with Lady Bornwell's 
opinion of Frederick, Old Barnacle concerning his nephew, 
The Gamester, I, 1. Cf. also Sebastian's opinion of 
Thomas, Monsieur Thomas, I, 2. 

Sc. 2. For the characters of Scentlove and Haircut by 
Celestina, cf . I, 1, III, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 21. Note 
Confident, The Example, I, 1, for Maria's remark concern- 
ing tasters (p. 295). See under The Example, II, 1, for 
the attempts of Haircut and Scentlove to discredit each 
other before the ladies. Gifford suggests that Celestina 



376 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

borrows from Sophia in The Picture, IV, 2. Gifford's 
''allusion" to Henry IV, Part I, II, 2, is not well founded. 
The ''fretting" of "gummed velvet" is frequently alluded 
to in Elizabethan plays. Cf. The Ball, IV, 1, Henry IV, 
Part I, II, 2, The Malcontent, I, 1, The Woman Hater, 

IV, 2. 15 For the repartee between Bornwell and Celestina, 
see Chap. IV, Sect. 19. 

Act III, Sc. 1. For Lord A. at his toilet, cf. The Humor- 
ous Courtier, V, 2, A Woman is a Weathercock, I, 2, The 
Fatal Dowry, IV, 1, The Bashful Lover, V, 1, The Staple 
of News, I, 1. For the use of the title of the play in the 
text, see Chap. IV, Sect. 31, and note Hyde Park, I, 1, II, 3, 
The Gamester, I, 1. See under The Opportunity, IV, 1, 
for the dictated letter. Lord A.'s remaining faithful to 
the memory of Bella-Maria is utilized in The Royal Mas- 
ter, V, 2. Note as a source, The Great Duke of Florence, 
I, 2. The speech beginning "Bid her appear in all the 
ornaments . . ." (p. 49) is based on Tamburlaine, Part I, 

V, 2 ("If all the pens ..."). Cf. The Iron Age, Part II, 
V, 1. 

Sc. 2. For Decoy's delivering a letter the contents of 
which differ much from what she thinks, cf. The Witty 
Fair One, III, 5. Bornwell 's attempting to make his wife 
jealous by introducing Celestina is based apparently upon 
The Just Italian, II, 1. Alteza in that play does not be- 
come jealous, and like Lady Bornwell she resorts to a 
lover. Cf. Hyde Park, III, 1. For the characters of the 
wits (p. 52), cf. I, 1, II, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 21. 
Probably a contemporary application. For the plot against 
Celestina, see The Ball, III, 2. The conversation in French 
between Lady Bornwell and Celestina is paralleled in 
Henry V, III, 4, IV, 4, V, 2, and The Hollander, II, 1 
(1635) (not in substance). Frederick's answering Celes- 

15 See Parrott, Chapman's Comedies, p. 879. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 377 

tina in Latin when she speaks to him in French parallels 
Tim's wooing the Welshwoman in Latin, A Chaste Maid in 
Cheapside, IV, 1. Cf. Kataplectus, The Muse's Looking- 
glass, IV, 2, and note that in all three plays the hearers are 
horrified by the display of learning. For Frederick's 
parody of a passage in The Spanish Tragedy, II, 1, note 
V, 1, and see under The Constant Maid, I, 1. The jeering 
of Celestina by Kickshaw and Littleworth, and Bornwell's 
defense of her are based on The Ball, III, 4. For the 
jeering and the eavesdropping of Born well, see Chap. IV, 
Sects. 20 and 30. 

Act IV, Sc. 1, is based directly upon The Grateful Serv- 
ant, IV, 4, 5. For Kickshaw's entering blindfolded, see 
under The Gentleman of Venice, III, 3. See under The 
Traitor, V, 2, for the assignation in darkness. Decoy dis- 
guised as an old woman recalls Flavia, The Young 
Admiral, IV, 1. Her pretended relations with devils or 
succubae are related to Belinda's disguise, The Grateful 
Servant, IV, 5. Note also Erectho, Sophronisba, IV, 1, 
and the Succubus, A Mad World, My Masters, IV, 1. For 
Kickshaw's description of Decoy (pp. 64r-65), cf. Horatio, 
The Duke's Mistress, III, 2, IV, 1. Note that in the first 
scene cited the expression "good madam Kickshaw" oc- 
curs. Decoy's assurance that she will change in appear- 
ance suggests the "Loathly Lady" story (cf. the ballad 
of The Marriage of Sir Gawaine, and Women Pleased. 
Note Erectho, Sophronisba, IV, 1). For her expatiation 
on the delights of love, cf. The Grateful Servant, IV, 5, 
and for the allusion to Venus and Adonis, see under The 
Doubtful Heir, IV, 2. (All points of resemblance to The 
Grateful Servant, IV, 4, 5, have not been noted). 

Sc. 2. Cf. Littleworth on dress and fashions with 
The Witty Fair One, II, 1. For the satire on pandering 
and preferment at court, see under Love's Cruelty, I, 2, 



and note, for instance, The Fancies Chaste and Noble, I, 1, 
3 (1635). Koeppel says that the Steward's allusion to 
"Sir Pandarus" (p. 69) refers to Troilus and Cressida 
(the play) (Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 61). However, 
it may as properly be to Chaucer's poem of the same name 
(note the reference to Chaucer, Love in a Maze, I, 2). For 
the reference to the "Bear at the bridge-foot" (p. 72), 
cf. V, 1, following, No Wit, No Help Like a Woman's, 
V, 1, The Puritan, I, 4, The Northern Lass, I, 5, A Mad 
Couple well Matched, II, 1 (1636). 

Sc. 3. For Celestina's trial of Lord A., see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 15. Note that she pretends to make love to him (see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 2). Lord A.'s "If you durst be the ex- 
ample, etc." (p. 80), recalls Fitzavarice, The Example, 
V, 3, "Let me salute the example of chaste honor." Note 
Shirley's tribute to the King and Queen (p. 81). 

Act V, Sc. 1. For the description of gaming (pp. 81- 
82), cf. The Gamester, III, 4. A slight hint for Bornwell's 
announcement of his future extravagance occurs in The 
Just Italian, I, 1, in which Altamont mentions the luxuries 
with which he will surround Alteza. Note Marine's dis- 
posing of his land, The Noble Gentleman, I, l. 18 For the 
allusion to the "poor knight of Windsor" (p. 85), cf. 
Eastward Ho, IV, 1, and note The Constant Maid, III, 2. 
Littleworth 's falling into the Thames, as described, p. 86, 
recalls Sir Moth Interest's falling into the well, The Mag- 
netic Lady, V, 6. Frederick's courting of his aunt (p. 
87) suggests the attentions of Asotus to his stepmother, 
Corisca, The Bondman, II, 2. Frederick parodies a line 
from The Spanish Tragedy, III, 14 (cf. Ill, 2, and see un- 
der The Constant Maid, I, 1). For the interchange of 
"sweet gentleman" and "sweet gentlewoman" (p. 88), 

is For the mention of "regalias" (p. 83), see under The Ball, III, 
3; and for the allusion to the Stillyard (p. 84), cf. ibid., IV, 1. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 379 

note The Sisters, IV, 2, and see The Scornful Lady, IV, 1. 
Cf. Kickshaw's telling of his assignation with the "fiend," 
contrary to his instructions, with the medieval tales of the 
fairy mistress group, as the Lai of Sir Launfal. For the 
mention of Lachrymae (p. 93), cf. The Knight of the Burn- 
ing Pestle, II, 5, The Fair Maid of the Inn, IV, 2, The 
Maid of Honor, I, 1, The Picture, V, 3, The Partial Law, 
III, 3, Microcosmus, III (Anc. Brit. Dram., II, 526, note). 
For Celestina 's defense of her virtue and Lord A. 's conver- 
sion, see Chap. IV, Sect. 9 (note also later in the scene). 
Cf. the reference to Platonic love with The Duke's Mis- 
tress, III, 2. See under Love's Cruelty, II, 2, for Lord 
A.'s invitation to love. Cf. Celestina 's parody with that 
of the Sister, Captain Underwit, II, 2. Cf. Scentlove as 
a coward with Bubulcus, Love Tricks, II, 1, and note The 
Wedding, IV, 3. The conversion of Lady Bornwell paral- 
lels that of Alteza, The Just Italian, V, 1. Cf. The Grate- 
ful Servant, V, 2, The Witty Fair One, V, 3, The Gamester, 
V, 2, and for the penitence of both her and Kickshaw, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 10. 

VIII. Look to the Lady 

Look to the Lady, from the title apparently a comedy of 
manners, was entered in the Stationers' Register, March 
11, 1639-40. It may have been withdrawn from publica- 
tion on Shirley's return from Ireland. No trace of it has 
ever been found either as having been acted or printed. 
Possibly it may be identified with Captain Underwit (see 
Chap. X). This, however, is scarcely more than a con- 
jecture. 

IX. The Constant Maid 

Fleay dates The Constant Maid in 1634, because of the 
quotations in it from The Spanish Tragedy (reprinted 



380 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

1633), and because the titlepage of the edition of 1661 
states it to have been acted by the Queen's Men at the 
Cockpit (from which they moved to Salisbury Court dur- 
ing the stay of Shirley in Ireland). He attaches, too, 
some significance to an allusion to "Warbeck (III, 2) and 
calls attention to the production of Perkin Warbeck in 
1633 (Anglia, VIII, 407). These three points are value- 
less separately or taken together as far as determining the 
date of The Constant Maid. Shirley quotes or parodies 
lines from The Spanish Tragedy in eight other plays, while 
in at least twenty -five plays, by other authors from before 
1600 to 1641 Kyd's tragedy is alluded to, quoted from 
or parodied (cf. Koeppel's Marlowe, Kyd . . . im Spiegel 
des Dramas, pp. 20-42). These various allusions are scat- 
tered along through forty-five years without regard to the 
appearance of editions of The Spanish Tragedy. The evi- 
dence of the titlepage of the 1661 edition of The Constant 
Maid is absolutely worthless, for there the play is called 
Love Will Find Out a Way and the author is given as 
"T. B." Obviously no reliance can be placed upon any 
portion of the titlepage save that referring to the printer, 
date, etc. Furthermore, the allusion to Perkin Warbeck 
may be to that personage as a pretender, and not as a char- 
acter in a play. Indeed, the reference is explained better 
as such. In short, because of the absence of any record 
of its having been licensed in England, and because of the 
lack of a statement on the titlepage of the edition of 1640 
as to its having been acted in England, it seems most 
advisable to fix the production of The Constant Maid be- 
tween 1636 and 1640 and to place its presentation in the 
Dublin theatre. That the comedy was not played in Lon- 
don is nearly proved by the presence of the mock-court 
scenes. 

As Schelling says, The Constant Maid resembles to a 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 381 

certain extent The Lady Mother (1635) (Eliz. Dram., II, 
279, note, 295, note). Ward notices a likeness in some re- 
spects to The Noble Gentleman (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., 
Ill, 115, note). Some hints also may have been drawn 
from Wit at Several Weapons, while there is also a general 
influence of Brome's comedies visible. 

The plot of The Constant Maid runs as follows: 
Hartwell, a gentleman, whose failing fortunes force him 
to turn away his servants and shut up his house, loves 
Bellamy's daughter, Frances. In order to test Hartwell, 
Bellamy reveals to him a pretended passion for him. Hart- 
well is advised by his friend, Playfair, to meet the mother's 
advances. Frances' Nurse who overhears their conversa- 
tion places Frances and Startup, her boorish suitor who 
is favored by the Nurse, where they can hear Hartwell 's 
dialogue with Bellamy. The Nurse then plots with Close, 
a former servant of Hartwell 's, who is in Startup 's service, 
to admit his master to Frances' room in the night. Close 
reveals the plan to Hartwell, who disguises himself as 
Startup and who is taken by the Nurse to her mistress' 
chamber. Frances recognizes him, but to test him pre- 
tends to think him Startup and simulates love for him. 
Her mother approaches and Hartwell leaves, thinking 
Frances in love with Startup. Bellamy then tests Frances 
by requiring her to give up Hartwell to her. Close has 
frightened Startup from the house by pretending that 
Hartwell is in pursuit of him, and they are taken up by 
the watch. Hartwell is arrested on a charge of making 
away with his rival. At his hearing before the justice he 
pleads guilty in desperation, but is released when Startup 
appears. His relations with Frances then are straight- 
ened out. A subplot deals with the Niece of Hornet, a 
usurer, whom Playfair loves. She pretends madness, and 
is treated by Playfair 's Cousin as a doctor. A pretended 



382 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

pursuivant appears with a command for Hornet to appear 
at court. While he is being entertained by a mock-king, 
his Niece is stolen away and married to Playfair. When 
he discovers her flight, he offers to cancel the Cousin's bond 
for her restoration, but is gulled again, as she appears as 
Playfair 's wife. 

"Love will find out the way," which occurs as title to 
the edition of 1661, is found, seemingly as a quotation from 
a "ballet," in The Sparagus Garden, I, 2. The various 
characters, furthermore, suggest Brome strongly. They 
correspond roughly thus: Shirley's Startup = Brome 's 
Nehemiah in The New Academy, Nonsense and Widgeon 
in The Northern Lass, Clotpoll in The Weeding of the 
Covent Garden, Swayne in The Court Beggar (1632-40), 
the brothers Hoyden in The Sparagus Garden, Sir Amphilus 
in The Damoiselle (1637-38) ; Hornet, his Niece, and the 
Cousin = Mendicant, Clarissa, and Frederick (paralleled 
by Playfair more nearly), in The Court Beggar, and Ver- 
min, Alice, Dryground, etc., in The Damoiselle; the Nurse, 
Close, and Bellamy = the Nurse, Wat, and Bellamy in A 
Mad Couple Well Matched (1636). Besides these the 
Niece = Flavia in The Novella, and Close = Jeremy in 
The City Wit and Pate in The Northern Lass. The in- 
fluence of Brome on Shirley's plot will be taken up 
later. 

See under The Wedding (and note Chap. IV, Sect. 42) 
for Hornet, the usurer, under Love Tricks for Close, the 
clever servant, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 44, for Startup, 
the foolish boorish wooer. Hornet may have been intended 
as a Jew (see IV, 3, V, 2, 3) ; in that case, cf. Barabas, 
The Jew of Malta, and Shylock, The Merchant of Venice. 
For the Nurse, note Decoy in The Lady of Pleasure (there 
is a Nurse in the dramatis personce of The Maid 's Revenge, 
but none in the play), and cf. the Nurses in The Night- 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 383 

walker, Roister Doister, The Supposes, Dido, Queen of 
Carthage, Titus Andronicus (hardly analogous), Romeo 
and Juliet, Wily Beguiled, The Golden Age (a disguise), 
The Silver Age, A Shoemaker a Gentleman, a Cure for a 
Cuckold, Appius and Virginia, The Little French Lawyer, 
The Wonder of a Kingdom, Goffe's Orestes, The Rebellion 
(1639). 

Act I, Sc. 1. Hartwell's dismissing his servants and 
Closed refusing to leave him recall Timon, his servants, 
and Flavius, Timon of Athens, IV, 2. Of the quotations 
by the Servants (p. 451) the first is from a speech of the 
Duke of Castile's, The Spanish Tragedy, III, 4, the second 
and fifth are from Hieronimo's speeches, ibid., II, 4, while 
the third is from an unidentified source, and the fourth 
is misquoted from Mucedorus, IV, 3. Gifford's note, there- 
fore, which derives all five from "the outcries of poor old 
Jeronymo in The Spanish Tragedy" is incorrect. Shir- 
ley quotes, paraphrases, and parodies lines from The 
Spanish Tragedy in The Politician, III, 2, St. Patrick for 
Ireland, III, 2, The Bird in a Cage, III, 4, The Opportunity, 
I, 1, The Sisters, IV, 1, The Wedding, III, 2, Love in a 
Maze, IV, 3, The Lady of Pleasure, III, 2, V, 1, and again 
in V, 3, of the present play. For a fairly complete list of 
references of one kind and another to The Spanish Tragedy, 
see Koeppel, as cited above. 

Sc. 2. Cf. Hornet's suit to Bellamy with Dotario and 
iEmilia, A Fine Companion, II, 4, and Sir Geoffrey and 
the Lady, The Lady Mother, III, 1. Cf. his desire to keep 
his niece single in order to possess her dowry with Falso's 
intention, The Phoenix, I, 6. See under The Example, II, 
1, for his attempt at discrediting Hartwell. Cf. Hart- 
well's description of Hornet with that of Dotario by 
Emilia, A Fine Companion, II, 4, and of Lovell by Grimes, 
The Lady Mother, I, 1. See Chap. IV, Sect. 21. For the 



384 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

luxuries of Bellamy's house as listed by Hornet, cf. The 
Lady of Pleasure, I, 1, 2. Cf. Earthworm and Theodore, 
The Old Couple, II. See under The Witty Fair One, V, 
1, for the Prodigal Son in hangings. For Hornet's ''pre- 
cepts" and his revelation of his own character, cf. More- 
craft, The Scornful Lady, II, 3, and Overreach, A New 
Way to Pay Old Debts, IV, 1. See under The Bird in a 
Cage, II, 1, for the comparison of Hornet to a "monster," 
and note that Crackby is similarly designated in The Lady 
Mother, I, 3 (note Moroso, The Woman's Prize, II, 6). 
Hartwell's ordering Close to work into the Nurse's confi- 
dence is borrowed from Antonio and Diego, The Maid's 
Revenge, II, 2. For Bellamy's avowal to Hartwell of her 
love for him (pretended), see Chap. IV, Sect. 2. A source 
may be the Lady's courtship of Bonvile, The Lady Mother, 
III, 1 (note ibid., Ill, 2). 

Act II, Sc. 1. An allusion (p. 462) occurs, apparently 
to Verges in Much Ado about Nothing. For the eaves- 
dropping here and in II, 3, see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. See 
under The Duke's Mistress, III, 2, IV, 1, for Playfair's 
description of Bellamy (cf. Chap. IV, Sect. 20). Gifford's 
identification of the "harlot's story" in the hangings with 
that of the Prodigal Son is too absurd for comment. See 
under The Witty Fair One, II, 2, for the introduction of 
Startup. Cf. Startup's use of "sweet lady" and "sweet 
gentleman" with Josselin, Edward IV, Part I ("and so 
forth"), Mrs. Eyre, The Shoemaker's Holiday ("but let 
that pass"), Hobson, If You Know Not Me, You Know 
Nobody, Part II ("bones a me"), Sir John, The Merry 
Devil of Edmonton ("grass and hay; we are all mortal"), 
the Host, ibid. ("I serve the good Duke of Norfolk"), 
Simson, The Return From Parnassus, Part I ("as they 
say"), Flower, The Fair Maid of the Exchange ("it is a 
good conceit"), Goosecap, Sir Giles Goosecap ("tickle the 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 385 

vanity on't," and "because we are all mortal"), Touch- 
stone, Eastward Ho ("we are all mortal"), Brewer, A 
New Wonder : A Woman Never Vexed (" mother o ' pearl") . 
Note in connection with Close's reference to Startup as a 
"widgeon" that Widgeon is a foolish character in The 
Northern Lass. For Startup's desire to buy wit and his 
mention of a "hundred pieces," cf. Tim Hoyden and his 
hundred pounds for making him a gentleman, The Sparagus 
Garden, II, 3 ; Pupillus ' intention of becoming a wit and of 
paying for it, The Noble Stranger, I (1638) ; and Gudgeon's 
coming to court to buy a favorite 's position, The Fool Would 
Be a Favorite (1638). Note Sogliardo, Every Man out of 
his Humor, I, 1, who wishes to be a gentleman at any cost. 
For Startup's account of his ancestry (p. 467), cf. Treedle 
on his university career, The Witty Fair One, IV, 2. For 
Startup's attitude towards his rival Hartwell, cf. Simple 
and Caperwit, Love in a Maze, I, 2, and then Bubulcus and 
Antonio, Love Tricks, II, 1. Note also The Lady Mother, 
III, 2. 

Sc. 2. For Playf air's Cousin as a doctor, cf. The Witty 
Fair One, III, 4. The source of the use of this disguise 
as used here is perhaps Pate's gaining admission to the de- 
ranged Constance as a doctor and his part in the subsequent 
stealing of her away by Luckless, The Northern Lass, V, 1, 
2, 3. Cf. also A Fine Companion, V, 2. Here Aurelio, as a 
physician, steals away Valeria, daughter to Littlegood, a 
usurer, under the pretext of taking her to his house for 
treatment when she pretends madness. Cf . Lope de Vega, 
El Acero de Madrid, I, 4, II, 2, 3, 4. Note Fidelio as a 
scrivener gaining access to his mistress, Falso's Niece, The 
Phoenix, III, 1. For the simulated madness of the Niece, 
see under The Cardinal, V, 3. See under The Witty Fair 
One, III, 4, for Hornet's hint to the mock-doctor concern- 
ing his niece's death. The allusion of the Cousin to the 



386 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

great man who poisoned his countess is seemingly contem- 
porary (perhaps, however, to Leicester). 

The summoning of Hornet to court and the pretended 
honors bestowed on him in a mock-court are derived by 
Ward from The Noble Gentleman (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., 
Ill, 115, note). Cf. also Crazy's plot against Sarpego in 
which a bogus court-messenger appears, The City Wit, III, 
2. Disguises similar to that of the Servant as a pursuivant 
are found in Every Man in his Humor, IV, 9, A Tale of 
a Tub, II, 1, The Roaring Girl, IV, 2, News from Plymouth, 
V. 

Sc. 3. For Startup's courtship of Frances, see under 
Love in a Maze, III, 1, and cf. The Lady Mother, III, 2. 
For his informing her of a love-affair between her mother 
and Hartwell, cf. Sir Gregory, Wit at Several Weapons, 

I, 1. Hartwell's making love to the mother to forward his 
affair with the daughter is derived from The Arcadia, 

II, 1, III, 3, perhaps, but cf. Wit at Several Weapons, 

I, 1. For the apparent rivalry of mother and daughter, 
cf. also The Turk, III, 4, The Devil's Law-case, III, 3, and 
The Lady Mother. See Chap. IV, Sect. 30, and cf. II, 1, 
for the eavesdropping. 

Act III, Sc. 1. For the reference to "keeping the door," 
see under St. Patrick for Ireland, II, 2. 

Sc. 2. For the Cousin as King, see under The Imposture, 

II, 3. For his state, note The Noble Gentleman, IV, 4. 17 
Note the allusion to Perkin Warbeck (p. 484) (the play?). 
See under The Humorous Courtier, III, 1, for "rotten in 
my head." Cf. the cozening of Hornet by a mock call to 
court with Sneakup and Sarpego, The City Wit, III, 4. 
Cf. "Sir Giles Hornet" with Sir Giles Overreach, A New 
Way to Pay Old Debts, and the historical Sir Giles Mom- 

17 For the statesman's toothpick ( p. 483 ) , cf . The Grateful 
Servant, III, 1, and see under The Ball, I, 1. 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 387 

pesson. For Hornet's honors, see The Noble Gentleman, 

II, 1. For the diverting of his attention from home affairs, 
cf. The Spanish Curate, IV, 3, 5. Cf. the flight of his 
niece which takes place in his absence to that of Alice, The 
Damoiselle, I, 1 (1637-38), which occurs when her father 
is lured away from home. "Poor knights of Windsor " 
(p. 486) are alluded to in The Lady of Pleasure, V, 1. 
Note the references to contemporary events (p. 488). For 
other references to monopolies, cf . The Cruel Brother, I, 1, 
Love and Honor, II, 1, The Noble Stranger, III (1638). 

Sc. 3. Cf. the pretended pursuit of Startup by Hart- 
well with that of Sir Solitary by Peregrine, The Example, 

III, 1 (in earnest). Note The Picture, IV, 2 (the predica- 
ment of Ubaldo and Ricardo). There Ubaldo's clothes are 
worn by Hilario, as Startup's are by Hartwell. Note 
Brainworm's theft of Formal 's clothes, Every Man in his 
Humor, IV, 6, in connection with Close's device for secur- 
ing Startup's garments (see III, 1, also). 

Sc. 4. For Hartwell's being in disguise, but recognized 
and teased by Frances, cf. Love's Labor's Lost, V, 2, and 
Much Ado about Nothing, II, 1. Note that her pretending 
to believe him Startup and expressing love to him resembles 
closely the Niece's punishment of Cunningham for his 
addresses to the Guardianess, Wit at several Weapons, II, 
2, and see also her actions toward Cunningham as Sir 
Gregory, ibid., Ill, 1. See The Opportunity, II, 3, for 
confusion of personages. Note also A Fine Companion, 
V, 1, in which Careless and Dotario are confused. For 
Hartwell's despondency, see IV, I, and cf. Aurelio, A 
Fine Companion, IV, 2, on being shown Valeria's ring 
by Spruse. See under The Witty Fair One, III, 3. For 
the test of love, cf. IV, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. Cf. 
The Maid's Revenge, II, 2, for Frances' pretense of love 
for Startup, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 6. The trial which 



388 SHIRLEY 's PLAYS AND THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 

terminates unfortunately is found in Hyde Park, V, 1, and 
The Queen, IV. Note The Variety, IV, 1. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. For the setting (the fields), cf. The 
Two Angry "Women of Abington, IV, V. For Startup's 
lack of clothing and his complaints as to the cold, cf. The 
Nightwalker, IV, 5, V, 1, Blurt, Master-Constable, IV, 3, 
The Little French Lawyer, IV, 4, 5. See for similar scenes 
in the dark, The Nightwalker, The Merry Devil of Edmon- 
ton, IV, The Two Angry Women of Abington, IV, V, 
Englishmen for My Money, IV, 1, If You Know Not Me, 
You Know Nobody, Part II, p. 302 (a fog), Thierry and 
Theodoret, V, 1, The Queen's Exchange, V, 1, Cartwright's 
Siege, V, 5, 6, 7 (1637), The Distresses, II, 1 (1639), Wit 
in a Constable, V, 1 (1639). For Hartwell's entrance with 
a lanthorn and Close's intercession with him for Startup, 
cf Wildbrain and Heartlove, and Maria's later appear- 
ance, The Nightwalker, III, 1. For Hartwell's lamenting 
the inconstancy of Frances, see under III, 4, and cf. Love 
in a Maze, V, 3. For the Constable and Watch and their 
arrest of Close and Startup, cf. Much Ado about Nothing, 
III, 3, Blurt, Master-Constable, IV, 3, The Coxcomb, I, 6, 
The Heir, IV, A Tale of a Tub, The Lady Mother, V, 1, 
Wit in a Constable, V, 1 (1639). Note the arrests of the 
clever servants in The Witty Fair One, IV, 6, and Bartholo- 
mew Fair, IV, 3. 

Sc. 2. For the Countryman in search of Startup, cf. 
Michaelmas Term, II, 2. Note that Crackby asperses the 
Lady, The Lady Mother, V, 2. For Bellamy's test of her 
daughter, see what is perhaps the source, ibid., Ill, 1, in 
which the Lady tests Bonvill. See also Chap. IV, Sect. 
15. Frances' offer to renounce Hartwell seems based on 
The Lady Mother, IV, 1. Here the Lady discloses her 
passion for Thurston to Clariana who gives him up to 
her, and consents to act as an intermediary. Note that 



THE REALISTIC COMEDIES 389 

Timoclea asks Amada, her daughter, to give up Muleasses 
to her, The Turk, IV, 1. For renunciations, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 4. Cf. Frances' lines concerning her death with 
those of Amidea, The Traitor, IV, 2. 

Sc. 3. For Playf air's description of his lady, see un- 
der The Royal Master, I, 2. Cf. the induction to The 
Taming of the Shrew for Hornet's thinking himself dream- 
ing (p. 505). Note The Arabian Nights' Entertainments. 
For Hornet's keeping the door at the masque and his 
troubles with the crowd, cf. The Triumph of Peace, p. 
280 ff., The Maid's Tragedy, I, 2, A King and No King, 
II, 2, The Humorous Lieutenant, I, 1, A Wife for a Month, 
II, 6, Henry VIII, V, 4, etc. For the masque, see Chap. 
IV, Sect. 18. Cf. for the introduction of Cupid, The Royal 
Master, II, 1, and The Coronation, IV, 3. For "Venus' 
dandiprat" (p. 511), see under The Royal Master, II, 1. 
The masque and the Niece's part in it is derived, perhaps, 
from The Northern Lass, II, 6, in which a runaway lady 
appears before her uncle as a masquer, but cf. Wit at 
Several Weapons, V, 2. Cf. Love in a Maze, V, 5, for 
the revelation of a marriage in a masque, and note espe- 
cially The Lady Mother, V, 2. 

Act V, Sc. 1. Cf. the arrest of Hartwell for the murder 
of Startup with that of Bubulcus, Love Tricks, IV, 6. 
His false confession of having killed Startup recalls The 
Duke's Mistress, V, 2, 3. Cf. The Lady Mother, V, 1, 
The Goblins, V, 5 (1638), Brennoralt, V, 3 (1639). 

Sc. 2. Cf. Hornet's discovery of his niece's flight and 
his lamentations with Shylock, The Merchant of Venice, 
II, 8 (reported), III, 1 (source perhaps) . For the Cousin's 
reference to the knighting of Hornet (p. 514), cf. The 
Noble Gentleman, II, 1 (on the tumult at court over the 
honors of Marine). For the bargain between the Cousin 
and Hornet which involves the cancellation of a debt for 



390 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

the return of the Niece, cf. Epiccene, V, 1, The Roaring 
Girl, V, 2, The Antiquary, V, 1, The City Match, V, 4 
(1639). Note The Bird in a Cage, V, 1, and its analogues. 
Sc. 3. For the trial scene, see Chap. IV, Sect. 17. Note, 
for Hartwell's reaffirmation of his guilt, The Lady Mother, 
V, 2, in which the Lady repeats her confession. Note also 
Thorowgood's attempt to take her guilt upon himself, ibid. 
For the settlement of the difficulties of Hartwell and 
Frances, cf. Beauford and Gratiana, The Wedding, V, 2. 
See under ibid., for the opportune appearance of Startup. 
Note the resurrections of Thorowgood, Bonvill and Belisia, 
The Lady Mother, V, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 29. See 
under I, 1, for the quotation from The Spanish Tragedy, 
II, 4. For Startup and the Countryman's daughter, cf. 
Michaelmas Term, V, 3. The last line of Startup's last 
speech (p. 521) recalls Dogberry, Much Ado about Noth- 
ing, IV, 2. Gifford notes (p. 522) a mention of the "herb 
to open locks" in The Sad Shepherd, II, 2 (unfinished, 
and unprinted until 1641). For the final baffling of Hor- 
net, cf. The Merchant of Venice, IV, 1, Michaelmas Term, 
V, 3, The Family of Love, V, 3, Wit at Several Weapons, 
V, 2, etc. Cf. also Love Tricks, V, 3, and The Wedding, 
V, 2. 



CHAPTER X 

ENTERTAINMENTS, ETC., COLLABORATED, AND 
DOUBTFUL PLAYS 

A. Entertainments, Etc. 

I. A Contention for Honor and Riches 

According to Fleay (Biog. Chron., II, 238) A Contention 
for Honor and Riches was never meant to be acted, nor was 
it. There is no evidence of the piece's not having been 
played save the absence of any reference to a presentation 
on the titlepage of the old edition of 1633. The Conten- 
tion is asserted by Fleay to have been composed in June, 
1631. On what grounds, that critic fails to state. A more 
probable date is 1630, a year in which Shirley seems to have 
had no plays licensed. 

Fleay 's theory that in Sc. 1 Shirley ridiculed the Lord 
Mayor's pageants which Hey wood wrote between 1631 and 
1639, and so began a paper warfare between the two, is 
absolutely without foundation. In the first place, if the 
Contention was written in June, 1631, we have Shirley 
performing the feat of satirising a series of shows the first 
of which was produced some five months later. But set- 
ting aside considerations of dates, we find all the evidence 
against Fleay 's theory. First, if Ingenuity is Shirley, as 
Fleay thinks (and it seems probable), it would be he who 
would ridicule the shows, and not Clod, the sordid bump- 
kin; and secondly all likelihood of any malicious satire on 

391 



392 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

the pageants of Heywood or anyone else is removed by the 
fact that in Sc. 3 Ingenuity, whether Shirley or not, re- 
bukes Clod for having ridiculed "The noble citizens, and 
traduc'd Their yearly Triumph," to which Gettings re- 
sponds, ' ' 'Twas his ignorance. ' ' Later, in the discussion 
of The Triumph of Beauty, the "quarrel" between Shir- 
ley and Heywood will be disposed of. 

Fleay's statement that the source of the Contention is 
the eighth novel of the fifth day of the Decameron is one 
of the most extraordinary assertions ever made. There is 
absolutely no resemblance between the plots of the novel 
and the morality. 

The basic idea of the Contention was utilized by Shir- 
ley in the masque in The Coronation, IV, 3, where Polidora 
presents to her recreant lover, Arcadius (or Demetrius), 
an allegory representing Love's being won away from 
Honor by Fortune. 

A Contention for Honor and Riches, which, as it stands, 
is a moral masque in three scenes, was worked over at his 
leisure by its author, and in the form of a full-fledged mo- 
rality in five acts with added action and characters was 
published in 1659 under the title Honoria and Mammon. 
In view of this fact and since the expanded version was 
never acted, only those points which occur in the Conten- 
tion will be noted here, while immediately Honoria and 
Mammon will be discussed, in its relationships, etc., to the 
Contention and to the drama in general. 

Sc. 1. For Clod's mention of "pancake bells," see De- 
loney's Pleasant History of the Gentle Craft, Part I, Chap. 
XV (p. 132). 

Sc. 3. Dyce suggests an allusion by Lady Riches to 
the failure of the Dutch and English fleets to capture the 
Spanish plate fleet in 1625. 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLATS 393 



II. Honoria and Mammon 

This morality, according to Shirley's preface, seems to 
have been many years growing out of A Contention for 
Honor and Eiches before its publication in 1659. This 
fact, together with those cited under the previous section, 
is the excuse for discussing Honoria and Mammon in this 
place although it was its author's last work in dramatic 
form to appear in print. 

The morality and the allegorical play were by no means 
extinct dramatic types in England after 1600. We have, 
to name only a few, the following productions which 
frankly belong to these classes or which verge very closely 
upon them: Cynthia's Kevels, The Staple of News, The 
Magnetic Lady, Lingua, The Whore of Babylon, The Sun's 
Darling, Two Wise Men and All the Rest Fools, A Game 
at Chess, Pathomachia, Microcosmus, The Floating Island, 
The Muse's Looking-glass. Hence, Honoria and Mammon 
is by no means a novelty in form even in the last years of 
the Elizabethan drama. 

Although founded on A Contention for Honor and 
Riches, Honoria and Mammon by reason of its greater 
length and expanded plot differs in certain respects from 
the former considerably. The characters are renamed in 
Honoria and Mammon and those which in the Contention 
have no names are christened. The Soldier of the Con- 
tention = Conquest of Honoria and Mammon ; Ingenuity = 
Alworth; the Courtier = Alamode ; Gettings = Fulbank ; 
Maslin = Clod ; Lady Honor = Honoria ; Lady Riches = 
Aurelia Mammon. Also various named and unnamed char- 
acters have been added. The name of Phantasm, the Vice 
of Honoria and Mammon, is derived from an epithet ap- 
plied by the Soldier to the Courtier. Some of the more 
concrete figures of the latter piece resemble characters in 



394 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

other dramas; for instance there are likenesses between 
Conquest and Winfield in The Ball, and Alamode and Sir 
Ambrose Lamount in the same play. The "courtier a la 
mode" and the "madame a la mode" are mentioned in 
The Variety, II, 1, and III, 1, respectively. Cf. Captain 
Underwit, I, 1, V, 1, The Variety, V, 1, The New Academy, 
V, 1, for the use of the term. The name of Traverse sug- 
gests Sir Marmaduke Travers in The Ball, and that of 
Aurelia Mammon, Aurelia Clara Pecunia in The Staple 
of News. 

Honoria and Mammon may thus be summarized: 
Conquest, a soldier, Alworth, a scholar, and Alamode, 
a courtier, are suitors for the hand of Lady Honoria, while 
the citizen Fulbank and the countryman, Maslin, are 
suitors to Lady Mammon. Alworth is introduced to Mam- 
mon by Honoria, but she disdains him. Fulbank and Mas- 
lin quarrel over Mammon, but their common cowardice 
prevents their fighting. Alamode and Conquest fight over 
Honoria and the latter is victorious. Phantasm, a demon, 
who is Mammon's gentleman usher, leads Fulbank on in 
his pursuit of his mistress who accepts him. Phantasm 
then tempts Traverse, a lawyer, to win Mammon from 
Fulbank. He does so and bears her away in triumph, and 
in turn, Alamode who has been unsuccessful with Honoria, 
wins her from Traverse, and carries her to his country 
seat. There Maslin becomes her favored lover, but is for- 
saken by her for Conquest, who seems her final choice. In 
the meantime, Honoria has chosen Alworth in preference 
to Conquest and Alamode. She tests Alworth, and finds 
him worthy of her, but he becomes ill as the result of the 
strain of the trial. Traverse, who is a suitor to Honoria 
as well as to Mammon, is introduced as a doctor for Al- 
worth. He gives out that Alworth is dead, and carries 
off Honoria to the country. Conquest, with a band of 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLATS 395 

soldiers, goes there in search of Honoria, and frees her. 
Alworth appears in disguise, and as he discovers himself 
to Honoria is recognized and made prisoner by Conquest. 
Conquest, however, yields up Honoria to his rival who has 
previously proposed to renounce his own pretensions to 
Honoria. Then Conquest turns to Mammon, and Honoria 
and Alworth are united, while the offending characters, 
Fulbank, and the others, are pardoned. 

At the opening of A Contention for Honor and Riches, 
Ingenuity is repulsed by Riches, and the two quarrel. 
Clod and Gettings, her suitors, enter, and after a war of 
words the former challenges Gettings. Next the Cour- 
tier and Soldier are shown courting Honor with Ingenuity 
present. Honor and the last leave the stage, after which 
the Courtier and Soldier quarrel. As they approach the 
point of fighting, Honesty and No-Pay appear and frighten 
them away. Clod and Gettings are now shown as about 
to engage in a duel. Foul-Weather-in-Harvest and Long 
Vacation enter, and the opponents are reconciled because 
of their fear of these spectres. Riches appears and accepts 
Gettings but gives a reversion of his husbandhood to Clod. 
The Soldier and the Courtier appear in search of Honor, 
but turn their attention to Riches. Then Honor and In- 
genuity enter as just married. After a moment's sur- 
prise a general reconciliation takes place. 

Act I, Sc. 1. Gifford sees an allusion (p. 7) to the 
rapacity of the patrons of benefices under the Long Par- 
liament. The passage is founded, however, on Sc. 1, A 
Contention (p. 293). Fulbank on Apollo and the Muses 
(pp. 8-9) is based on ibid. (p. 295) and Maslin (p. 10) 
on city pageants is condensed from Clod on the same (pp. 
296-97). For the discussion of learning (p. 7), cf. The 
Royal Master, II, 1. Fulbank 's arraignment of Maslin 
is drawn from A Contention, p. 298. Maslin 's and Ful- 



bank's apprehension of a plot (p. 11) recalls Sir Solitary 
Plot's humor in The Example. As poltroons trying to es- 
cape fighting, the same pair seem founded on Lodam and 
Rawbone, The Wedding, IV, 3. Their device of cutting 
each other and then pretending to have fought is based on 
Henry IV, Part I, II, 4. Cf. also Love Tricks, IV, 6. 

Sc. 2. Conquest's speech to Honoria (p. 14) is based 
on that of the Soldier to Honor, A Contention, Sc. 2 (p. 
300). Cf. As You Like It, II, 7, Jaques on the soldier 
in his seven ages speech. For Honoria 's test of Mammon, 
cf. II, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. Alamode regarding 
Conquest (p. 15 ff.) and Conquest on Alamode (p. 17 ff.) 
are based respectively on A Contention, Sc. 2 (pp. 302 ff., 
304 ft.). For the use of "leveret" (p. 16), cf. Captain 
Underwit, II, 1. The mention of the battle of Amboyna 
(p. 18) should be noted. 

Act II, Sc. 1. Phantasm's leading on of Fulbank here 
together with III, 1, 2 (with Traverse and Alamode re- 
spectively) seems based on Giotto and the Duchess' suitors 
in The Humorous Courtier. Cf. also the ladies and their 
suitors in The Ball. For Fulbank's day-dreams (p. 20), 
together with those of Maslin, IV, 2, see under The Royal 
Master, III, 3. For Fulbank's mention of The Mirror 
of Knighthood, see Koeppel, Reflexe der Ritter Romane 
im Drama, p. 212, note. The expression "I confess" — 
"And be hang'd" (p. 24) is said by Gifford to be pro- 
verbial. 

Sc. 2. For the characters of the wise courtier and good 
soldier (pp. 27-28) see Chap. IV, Sect. 21. Alworth's 
speech (p. 29) with some variations is the same as To L. 
for a Wreath of Bays Sent, Shirley's Poems (VI, 413). 
For Honoria 's test, cf. I, 2, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. 

Act III, Sc. 1. Cf. Traverse and his books, pp. 32, 36, 
with the parallels noted in Chap. IV, Sect. 23. Gifford 's 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 397 

note (p. 32) on the ''Writs" from the context is obviously- 
wrong. They are apparently persons dressed in parch- 
ment who act as Traverse's demons (see p. 39). For 
Phantasm's suggestion that Traverse himself court Mam- 
mon, cf. I, 2, III, 2. Gifford notes Phantasm's use of the 
common pun on ''angels," p. 34. For Maslin's eaves- 
dropping, p. 37, together with the instances at p. 39, and 
in IV, 3, V, 1, 2, see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. Cf. Traverse's 
courtship in legal terms (p. 38) with that of Rawbone, 
The Wedding, III, 2. For the mention of Cuckold's 
Haven, p. 40, see Eastward Ho, IV, 1, and Northward Ho, 
III, 2. 

Sc. 2 is concerned with Phantasm's attracting Alamode 
to the pursuit of Mammon. Cf. II, 1, III, 1. 

Sc. 3. For the hints of Traverse to the Doctor concern- 
ing the death of Alworth (p. 44), cf. The Humorous Court- 
ier, V, 2, and the analogues there cited. Traverse refers 
(p. 45) to A Hundred Merry Tales, IX. Cf. The Game- 
ster, III, 2. 

Sc. 4 shows Alamode starting with Mammon for the 
country. 

Sc. 5. Cf. Traverse as a doctor with Manly, The Witty 
Fair One, III, 4. Cf. the entering and reentering of 
characters from Alworth 's bedside with tidings of his con- 
dition and finally of his death with The Brothers, IV, 1. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. The name " Squanderbag, " applied to 
a character in this scene and later, is derived from Scan- 
derbeg, for whom see The Gentleman of Venice, III, 1. 
There may be in the generosity of the Citizens, p. 53 ff., 
some reference to conditions after the death of Oliver. 
Certainly some contemporary application is probable. 

Sc. 2 is chiefly concerned with Maslin's visions for which 
see under II, 1. 

Sc. 3. "Thou messenger of horror, what's the matter?" 



398 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

(p. 63) is one of Shirley's few verbal anticlimaxes. For 
Fulbank's martial experiences (p. 64), cf. The Knight of 
the Burning Pestle, V, 2, 3. For Alworth's resurrection 
(p. 66) see Chap. IV, Sect. 29. 

Act V, Sc. 1. See for the drinking scene Chap. IV, 
Sect. 26. An allusion to Dulcinea del Toboso from Don 
Quixote occurs at p. 69. The vanishing of Phantasm (p. 
73) should be compared with that of Archimagus, St. Pat- 
rick for Ireland, V, 3. 

Sc. 2. For the laying of the scene in a prison, see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 14. For Alworth's and Conquest's re- 
nunciations of Honoria, see Chap. IV, Sect. 4, and see the 
same (Sect. 10) for the repentance of Traverse (p. 79). 
Cf. the account of Maslin's robbery (p. 83) with The Sis- 
ters, I, 1, and note the analogues listed there. 

III. The Triumph of Peace 

Shirley's Triumph of Peace, the most magnificent and 
elaborate of English masques, was presented by the four 
Inns of Court before the King and Queen at Whitehall, 
February 3, 1633-34, as a testimonial of their loyalty, and 
as a sort of counterbalance to the barrister Prynne's 
Histriomastix. Its cost is said to have been about twenty- 
one thousand pounds. The masque so pleased the King 
and Queen that within a week after the first presentation 
it was repeated at their command. 

Koeppel (Ben Jonson's Wirkung, pp. 186-87) relates 
The Triumph of Peace to Jonson's Vision of Delight, 
which was presented at Court at Christmas, 1617. There 
are some resemblances in the scenes, and in the anti- 
masques, while Peace and Phant'sy are characters in Jon- 
son's masque. We have Hours represented in each, and 
both end with the approach of morning (Aurora in Jonson 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 399 

and Amphiluche in Shirley). However, The Vision of 
Delight was not printed until 1640, so we must suppose 
that if Shirley did utilize it, he based his borrowings upon 
some account of the masque, verbal or otherwise (there is 
not much probability that he had seen it). 

Among the interesting points in connection with The 
Triumph of Peace should be noted the seven scenes, the 
gorgeous sets, and the elaborate machinery. Koeppel de- 
rives the antimasque of projectors from The Devil is an 
Ass (as in II, 1), in which persons of that type play a 
considerable part (Ben Jonson's Wirkung, p. 178). Cf. 
also Engine, the projector, in Captain Underwit (II, 3, 
especially). See The Emperor of the East, I, 2, The Court 
Beggar, I, 1, The Antipodes, IV, 9. The author has un- 
wittingly played the prophet in presenting several of the 
participants in this antimasque (p. 269 ff.). The Coun- 
try-fellow unmistakably is concerning himself with a thresh- 
ing machine, the Fourth Projector has invented a diver's 
suit, and the Sixth is certainly the discoverer of the steam- 
boat, and the modern caisson foundations for buildings. 
For the mention of Rabelais (p. 270), cf. Koeppel, Rabelais 
Anspielungen im Drama. Cf. the Thieves (p. 272) with 
The Sisters, I, 1, etc. For the Satyrs and Nymphs who 
enter after the Thieves, see The Grateful Servant, IV, 4. 
These are followed by Don Quixote and Sancho Panza 
who tilt at a Windmill (see Don Quixote, Part I, Chap. 
VIII) and then assault a Country-Gentleman and his 
Servant who beat them off. For the member of the 
"Black Guard" (p. 280), see The White Devil, I, 2, and 
The Queen, I. Near the end of the masque (p. 282) we 
have an astonishing lapse. The new moon is visible just 
before sunrise. For the "feather-footed Hours" (p. 283), 
see under The Triumph of Beauty. 



400 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

TV. The Triumph of Beauty 

The Triumph of Beauty, which was printed with Shir- 
ley's Poems in 1646, is said by Fleay (Biog. Chron. II, 
244) to have been presented privately about May, 1640. 
As usual, no evidence is advanced by Fleay for the date 
he has set, and there seems to be none for any particular 
date between 1625 and 1646. 

Already, in connection with The Contention for Honor 
and Eiches, the "quarrel" between Hey wood and Shirley 
which Fleay "discovered" has been mentioned. Fleay fur- 
ther advances the theory (Biog. Chron. II, 244) that in his 
Love's Mistress Hey wood retaliated upon Shirley for his 
"ridicule" of the older author's pageants by exhibiting 
his opponent as Corydon, the Clown, and as the "ignorant 
ass" introduced in I, 1 (cf. Biog. Chron. I, 299). He 
likewise finds many allusions to Shirley's Arcadia in 
Love's Mistress. As a matter of fact, the only allusions 
to any Arcadia at all are due to Hey wood's confusing of 
Thessaly and Arcadia. Too, Fleay identifies the clowns 
of Love 's Mistress thus : Midas = Christopher Beeston, 
Corydon = William Beeston, and says that Midas prefers 
the song to Pan, the Arcadian god (Shirley's Arcadia), to 
Hey wood's song to Apollo (perhaps an intended revival 
of Apollo and Daphne) (Biog. Chron. I, 299). How 
Corydon could simultaneously be Shirley and Beeston with 
any appropriateness or probability Fleay has not deigned 
to explain. Nor has he informed us how he identified the 
"ignorant ass" among five other asses in Hey wood's play 
as Shirley. 

In Anglia, VIII, 409-10, Fleay states that Shirley re- 
plied to Hey wood's attack in Love's Mistress by represent- 
ing him as Bottle in The Triumph of Beauty. He speaks 
in another place (Biog. Chron. I, 244^-45) of Shirley's 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 401 

having " succeeded" Hey wood as dramatist for the King's 
Men in 1640, and seems to believe that this had something 
to do with the feud between the two. Fleay, himself, how- 
ever, shows that Heywood between 1625 and 1642 had one 
play produced by the King's Men, 1 so this ''fact" can 
have had little influence on the relations between the two 
(Stage, pp. 341, 362). 

As a matter of fact, the feud between Shirley and Hey- 
wood rests on as flimsy foundations as the celebrated 
jealousy of Jonson toward Shakespeare which Gifford de- 
molished a century ago. Fleay has contradicted himself 
so badly, and has trumped up a chronology so obviously 
to suit his theories that " allusions" much less veiled than 
those which he has pointed out are necessary to establish 
any case whatsoever. 

As Langbaine noted two hundred and twenty-five years 
ago (Dramatic Poets, p. 485), The Triumph of Beauty, 
as far as the comic portion is concerned, is based on A Mid- 
summer Night's Dream, I, 2, III, 1, in which the Athenian 
artisans prepare to play Pyramus and Thisbe. The latter 
part of The Triumph is founded on the old story of the 
judgment of Paris. Although there seems no indebtedness, 
The Arraignment of Paris, II, 1, should be compared with 
the masque from p. 329 ff. The entrance of the Hours 
(p. 340) and the mention of Eunomia, Diche, and Irene 
(p. 34) suggest The Triumph of Peace. In that masque 
(p. 283) also occurs the expression "feather-footed Hours" 
which is found in The Triumph of Beauty (p. 341), as 
well as in Captain Underwit, V, 1 (p. 395). 

V. Cupid and Death 
The masque of Cupid and Death was presented March 26 

i As a matter of fact, Heywood seems some years earlier practi- 
cally to have ceased writing for the stage. 



(New Year's Day), 1653, before the Portuguese Ambassa- 
dor by "Mr. Luke Channen, etc.'* The masque is based 
upon the story of the exchange of the arrows of Cupid and 
Death in the course of their stay over night at an inn. 
The source is probably that suggested by Langbaine (Dra- 
matic Poets, p. 478) — John Ogilby's iEsop's Fables, I, 
Fable 39. This book was published in 1651 with com- 
mendatory verses by Shirley (Poems, VI, 513-14). Ver- 
sions of the fable occur in L 'Estrange 's Fables and Stories 
Moralized (Fable CXXX), and in Select Fables of Esop 
and Other Fabulists, Bk. II, Fable 51. Boswell in the 
Shakespeare Variorum (XX, 67, note) cites several refer- 
ences to the story, among others, in Venus and Adonis, 11. 
947-48, and The Virgin-Martyr, I, l. 2 

The Chamberlain's terming Cupid the "Prince 
D 'Amour" (p. 347) recalls Davenant's masque with that 
title. On the next page a contemporary allusion is found 
in the Chamberlain's mention of the past "rantings" of 
the gentry. For the characters of Folly and Madness, 
pp. 349-50, see Chap. IV, Sect. 21. Cf. Despair with a 
halter (p. 351) and the Chamberlain (p. 362) with Roda- 
mant, St. Patrick for Ireland, V, 1. Shirley refers (p. 
352) to Hobbes' Leviathan, which had appeared two years 
earlier. The Chamberlain's being struck by Death with 
Cupid's arrow and his consequent falling in love with 
his Apes (pp. 361-62) seems to contain a reminiscence of 
Titania and Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream, III, 1. 

VI. The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses for the Armor 
of Achilles 

The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses, which was pub- 
lished with Honoria and Mammon in 1659, according to 

2 The allusion to Cupid's arrow here seems, however, to be to 
another story; cf. Love in a Maze, V, 3. 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 403 

the titlepage was privately presented as an entertainment. 
Fleay dates the piece about 1640 (Biog. Chron. II, 247), 
but there seems no authority for this statement. More 
probably it was presented at a time nearer that of its pub- 
lication. It is unlikely that Shirley would have kept The 
Contention by him for nineteen years, especially since we 
find him publishing Cupid and Death in the year of its 
presentation. 

As Dyce says, The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses is 
founded on the first section of the thirteenth book of Ovid 's 
Metamorphoses (see also The Iron Age, Part I, V, 1). 
Shirley's rendering of the strife between the heroes is close 
to Ovid's version. A considerable portion has been sacri- 
ficed and some rearrangements have been made. The long 
speeches of Ajax and Ulysses which we find in the Latin 
are broken into by their auditors in the English version. 
The first part of Sc. 1 of The Contention up to p. 376 is 
Shirley's, and in Sc. 2, only the suicide of Ajax is from 
Ovid. The pages are Shirley's, as is the braggart and pol- 
troon, Polybrontes, who appears in Sc. 2 (cf. these charac- 
ters with the analogous ones cited in Chap. IV, Sects. 48 
and 47). Cf. the madness of Ajax (Sc. 2) with the ana- 
logues under Love Tricks, II, 2. For the eavesdropping 
(p. 393), see Chap. IV, Sect. 30, and for the prophecy of 
Calchas (p. 395), see under St. Patrick for Ireland, I, 1. 

B. Collaborated and Doubtful Plays 

Langbaine's statement that Shirley left behind him sev- 
eral plays in MS. at his death (Dramatic Poets, p. 475), 
Malone's statement in regard to Love's Pilgrimage 
(Shakespeare Variorum, III, 226), and Hitchcock's asser- 
tion that Shirley completed several plays of Fletcher's 
(An Historical View of the Irish Stage, p. 12, quoted by 
Ward, D. N. B., LII, 130), together with the natural de» 



404 

sire of scholars to find an author for anonymous plays, are 
responsible for the attribution to Shirley in entirety, or 
in part, of fourteen plays (exclusive of The Ball, The 
Nightwalker, and Chabot). These include A Yorkshire 
Tragedy, The Faithful Friends, The Laws of Candy, The 
Nice Valor, The Noble Gentleman, Dick of Devonshire, 
Phillis of Scyros, The Lovers' Progress, Captain Under- 
wit, Love's Pilgrimage, The General, No Wit, No Help 
Like a Woman 's, Andromana, Double Falsehood. To these 
may be added conjecturally at least, The Variety, and The 
Humorous Lovers of the Duke of Newcastle. 

There seems to be no need of discussing in detail Shir- 
ley's "share" in A Yorkshire Tragedy, The Faithful 
Friends, The Laws of Candy, The Nice Valor, The Noble 
Gentleman, Phillis of Scyros, The Lovers' Progress, Love's 
Pilgrimage, The General, No Wit, No Help Like a Wom- 
an's, and Andromana. The consensus of critical opinion 
is that in most of these plays Shirley had no part. As to 
the others the judgment of the best authorities is that he 
had nothing to do with them. Since there is no apparent 
reason for disagreeing with the earlier critics, the above 
plays are passed over in the present consideration of the 
doubtful and collaborated plays. In the appended notes 
brief bibliographies to the discussions of the authorship of 
these plays are given. 

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

A Yorkshire Tragedy; Biographia Dramatica, III, 427; Quar- 
terly Review, VII, 290; Brooke, Shakespeare Apocrypha, Intro- 
duction, xxxiii. ff. 

The Faithful Friends; Boyle, Englische Studien, VII, 75, ibid., 
XVIII, 294; Oliphant, ibid,, XV, 331, note. 

The Laws of Candy; Boyle, Englische Studien, VII, 75, ibid,, 
XVIII, 294; Oliphant, ibid., XV, 331, note; Chambers, Beaumont 
and Fletcher Variorum, III, 468. 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLATS 405 

The Noble Gentleman ; Dyce, Works of Beaumont and Fletcher, 
I, lxxvi; Boyle, Englisehe Studien, VII, 75, ibid., XVIII, 294; 
Fleay, ibid., IX, 27; Oliphant, ibid., XV, 331, note. 

The Nice Valor; Prolss, Das neuere Drama der Englander, p. 
189. 

Phillis of Scyros ; Greg, Past. Poet, and Past. Dram., p. 247 ff. 

The Lovers' Progress; Weber, Works of Beaumont and 
Fletcher, XIII, 427; Dyce, Works of Beaumont and Fletcher, I, 
lxxix, XI, 3; Boyle, Englisehe Studien, IX, 25-26. 

Love's Pilgrimage; Malone, Shakespeare Variorum, III, 226; 
Weber, Works of Beaumont and Fletcher, XIII, p. 295; Dyce, 
Works of Beaumont and Fletcher, I, lxxx, XI, 217; Boyle, Eng- 
lisehe Studien, VIII, 53; Oliphant, ibid., XV, 346 ff. 

The General; Halliwell[-Phillipps], Diet, of 0. E. Plays, p. 
106; Fleay, Anglia, VIII, 414; Schipper, James Shirley, p. 241. 

No Wit, No Help like a Woman's; Bullen, Works of Middle- 
ton, I, xl. 

Andromana; Gen est, Stage, IV, 113; Greg, Past. Poet, and 
Past. Dram., 330-31. 

The above bibliographical notes may be supplemented by Ward, 
Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Fleay, Biog. Chron., Schelling, Eliz. 
Dram. See also Bullen (John Fletcher), D. N. B., XIX, 303 
ff., and Ward (James Shirley), ibid., LII, 126 ff. 

I. Dick of Devonshire 

Dick of Devonshire, an anonymous tragicomedy, was 
published from Egerton MS. 1994, British Museum, by 
Bullen in 1883 in Vol. II of his first series of Old Plays. 
In his introduction, Bullen attributed the play tentatively 
to Hey wood, while in a subjoined note Fleay is quoted as 
believing Davenport the author. In Anglia, VIII, 405-6, 
Fleay repudiated his earlier attribution, denied Heywood's 
authorship, and assigned the play positively to Shirley. 
Dick of Devonshire, he asserted, was in reality the play 
licensed November 4, 1626, as The Brothers, while the play 
later printed under that name was licensed in 1641 as The 



406 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Politic Father (see under The Politician, Chap. VI, for a 
disproval of the identification of The Brothers and The 
Politic Father). 

As nearly as can be judged, Fleay's reasons for assign- 
ing Dick of Devonshire to Shirley are these: Dick of 
Devonshire contains an allusion to "the stories of Two 
Brothers" (V, 1) ; it contains no political allusions and it 
is certainly Shirley's (Anglia as cited and p. 411; Biog. 
Chron., II, 237). These are no reasons at all. "Dick of 
Devonshire" is mentioned three times in the course of the 
play (II, 1, 4, III, 3), so Bullen's title may be the original 
one; and the internal evidence is all opposed to Shirley's 
authorship. The play, which is founded on a contem- 
porary pamphlet, 3 is purely popular in tone, and therefore 
in both particulars unlike any other play of Shirley's. 
It is partly a glorification of an English common soldier, 
which is not a Shirleian theme. Contrary to Shirley's 
usual practice, there are two practically entirely dissoci- 
ated plots. That dramatist, it must be remembered, was 
a Catholic, and but a comparatively recent convert in 
1626. However, the author of Dick of Devonshire makes a 
character allude to the "yoke of Rome," and causes his 
hero, Dick, since he is a good Protestant, to refuse to con- 
fess to two priests. There is an anti-Spanish sentiment 
evident in the play. Nowhere does Shirley show any anti- 
Spanish tendencies. On the contrary, he seems to have 
gone to Spanish literature for the sources of several plays. 
The villainy of Henrico, which is the theme of the more 
romantic plot, is unconvincing and bungling, quite unlike 
the machinations of Shirley's Lorenzo or his Flaviano, to 
compare a less notable example. In short, while Bullen's 
assignment of the play to Heywood may reasonably be 

s Three to One (Arber's English Garner, I, 621 ff.). 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 407 

questioned, there can be no doubt that Shirley had no hand 
in it whatsoever. 4 

II. The Ball 

The Ball was licensed November 16, 1632, as by Shirley 
alone. In a note to the entry in his Officebook, Herbert 
says that certain courtiers were represented in the play so 
naturally that he would have forbidden it, had not Beeston, 
the manager of the Queen 's Men, promised that the comedy 
would be altered (Shakespeare Variorum, III, 231-32). 
In 1639 The Ball was printed as by Chapman and Shir- 
ley. 

In regard to this apparent dual authorship various opin- 
ions have been voiced, both as to the manner of collabora- 
tion and the amount of it. Gifford asserted the larger 
portion of the play to be Chapman 's, while Dyce thought it 
almost entirely Shirley's. Parrott, Ward, Neilson, Koep- 
pel, Swinburne, Schelling, Boas, Lehman, and Fleay agree 
with Dyce in believing The Ball, as it stands, to be almost 
altogether, if not entirely, the work of Shirley. The opin- 
ion of earlier students of the drama was that the two 
authors actually wrote together on the play (cf. Gifford). 
Fleay first declared The Ball to be clearly an old play of 
Chapman's revised by Shirley (Anglia, VIII, 406). Later, 
he decided that the play was originally Shirley's, and that, 
having been objected to by Herbert, on account of person- 
alities contained in it, the obnoxious passages were ex- 
punged and their places supplied by bits of Chapman's 
composition (Biog. Chron., II, 238-39). Lehman's theory 
(Chabot, pp. 26-27) that no part of the play is Chapman's 
seems unfounded in view of the fact that five years after 
the death of Chapman in obscurity and poverty, there 

* Cf . Nason, James Shirley, Chap. II. 



408 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

could have been no reason for coupling his name with 
Shirley's on the titlepage of a play. 5 

Fleay 's revised theory, as stated above, gives what seems 
to the writer the most probable solution of the problem of 
the manner in which Shirley and Chapman i ' collaborated ' ' 
on The Ball. It is very reasonable, in view of the facts 
in the case, to believe that since Shirley's play was objec- 
tionable to Herbert, as he states, Beeston, in order to se- 
cure its licensing, agreed to have it revised. Perhaps 
Shirley, offended at the strictures of the Master of the 
Bevels, refused to alter it; at any rate, Chapman seems 
likely then to have been called from his retirement to 
change it so as to meet with official approval. These 
changes were probably the writing in of inoffensive pas- 
sages in place of those stricken out, and the changing of 
the name of certain characters. In two places (IV, 3, 
V, 1) we have in the old edition proper names other than 

5 After the above discussion of the authorship of The Ball was 
prepared, Parrott's edition of Chapman's Comedies has appeared. 
In his Introduction to the play (p. 869 ff. ) Parrott advances the 
theory that the entire play is Shirley's, and that misled by the fact 
that Chabot, which was entered in the Stationers' Register at the 
same time as The Ball, was by Shirley and Chapman, the publishers 
ascribed the present comedy on the titlepage to the two writers. The 
inconsistency between the names of certain characters in IV, 3, and 
V, 1, he holds to be due to a hasty revision by Shirley himself. 
Parrott's case is a good one but hardly entirely convincing. The 
many analogues which he cites in action and language may indicate 
no more than that Shirley had at least the chief part in the composi- 
tion of the play. That the assignment of The Ball to Shirley and 
Chapman was the result of such a mistake as Parrott believes to 
have occurred is at best only a probability. 

It should be observed that in the following discussion of The Ball 
the material drawn from Parrott's excellent introduction and notes 
to the play is given in the footnotes, and that elsewhere the present 
author has, except where noted, utilized the results of his own in- 
dependent study of the comedy. 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLATS 409 

those of the dramatis personce, namely, Stephen for La- 
mount, Lionel for Travers, and Loveall for Rainbow. 
These not improbably are Shirley's names, and perhaps 
in them part of his offense lay, for he may have used the 
Christian names of certain courtiers as designations for 
his gulls. On account of these discrepancies in nomencla- 
ture, Fleay assumes that the scenes in which they occur 
are Chapman's. Certainly V, 1, has reminiscences of 
Chapman about it, but IV, 3, cannot be so easily judged. 
After all, even if Fleay 's theory is correct, it may be that 
the latter of these scenes, if not the former, is entirely 
Shirley's and that the use of the new (or old) names is 
an oversight on Chapman's part (see Nason, James Shir- 
ley, Chaps. IV and IX). 

Whatever was the method of collaboration pursued, it is 
plain that the conception and plot of The Ball are Shir- 
ley 's and most of the dialogue besides. The Ball is a repre- 
sentative of The Scornful Lady type of play to which 
Hyde Park is perhaps Shirley's finest contribution (see 
under Hyde Park for analogues). At the same time, the 
comedy is complicated by the introduction of the theme of 
The Humorous Courtier (the leading on of vain, foolish 
suitors to declarations of love and subsequent confusion). 
An echo of Love in a Maze is found in Lord Rainbow's 
seeming inability to decide whether he loves the Lady 
Rosamond or Lady Honoria the better (I, 2). They and 
Lady Lucina are Shirley's typical clever young ladies (see 
Chap. IV, Sect. 40). Schipper is reminded by the last 
and her maid, Scutilla, of Portia and Nerissa in The Mer- 
chant of Venice (James Shirley, p. 104). Bostock is the 
ordinary bragging poltroon, and the three (in all, five) 
suitors are typical foolish gentlemen (see Chap. IV, Sects. 
47 and 44). Ward suggests that Coryat, who is men- 
tioned in II, 1, furnished some hints for Freshwater, the 



410 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

"traveller" (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 107). Gifford 
derives him from Puntarvolo in Every Man out of his 
Humor. Volterre in The Humorous Courtier is a related 
character. For Frisk, the French dancing-master, see 
Eckhardt, Auslandertypen (Materialien, XXXII), p. 
94 ff. (a discussion of French characters in Elizabethan 
drama). Note also ibid., p. 81 ff., and see under Love 
Tricks. 

The plot of The Ball runs thus : 

A rich young widow, the Lady Lucina, has as suitors 
Sir Ambrose Lamount, Sir Marmaduke Travers, Bostock, 
and Colonel Winfield. She has the first three call at her 
house, while Winfield eavesdrops, and pretends to favor 
each in turn, and leads him to disclose his folly. She 
then jeers Winfield who vows to conquer her. The three 
suitors meet as they are on their way to procure their 
licenses, and discover they have been tricked. Urged on 
by Winfield who meets them, they go to Lucina 's house 
and rail on her. Winfield now takes her part and beats 
Bostock. Lucina regards Winfield more favorably, but 
tests him by vowing she will not marry him unless he will 
swear he has "been honest of his body." This he will 
not do. She then tests him again by announcing that she 
is really poor. Suspecting a trick, he asserts that her 
poverty makes no difference. She then accepts him be- 
cause of his honesty. To prove that The Ball is not im- 
moral, Lucina takes Winfield to one at Lord Rainbow's, 
and the play ends with the ball and a masque. The un- 
masking of Bostock, the coward, of Barker, the pretended 
cynic, of Freshwater, the traveller, and further tricks upon 
Travers and Lamount by Rosamond and Honoria, together 
with the revenge of the latter upon Lord Rainbow for his 
indiscreet remarks concerning their love for him, are rather 
episodic additional incidents in the play. 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLATS 411 

Act I, Sc. 1. For the reference to the Lady of the Lake, 
see under The Royal Master, IV, 1. Cf. Bostock's threats 
against Lamount and his change of tone on the latter 's 
entrance with Tucca and Horace (Koeppel, Ben Jonson's 
Wirkung, p. 110). For the allusion to the Knight of the 
Sun (p. 7) see under The Maid's Revenge, I, 2. 6 Cf. for 
the reference to Bethlem Gahor (p. 13) The Bird in a 
Cage, under IV, 1. 

Sc. 2. For the quarrel of Rosamond and Honoria over 
Lord Rainbow, cf. A Midsummer Night's Dream, III, 2, 
and see also Chap. IV, Sect. 20. Rainbow's inability to 
choose between the ladies is drawn from Gerard's similar 
predicament in Love in a Maze, I, 2, II, 3. For the eaves- 
dropping in this scene, and in II, 3, V, 1, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 30. 

Act II, Sc. I. 7 A reference to Coryat, the traveller, 
occurs, p. 22. He was a common butt for Elizabethan 
dramatists (cf. The Queen of Corinth, IV, 1, as noted by 
Ward, Cam. Hist. Eng. Lit., V, 389, note). 

Sc. 2 consists of four short speeches. 

Sc. 3. Cf. the dancing-lessons here and in III, 1, with 
Hippolito's fencing-lesson, Love's Cruelty, II, 1. See The 
Variety, III, l. 8 The projects ascribed to Travers by 
Lucina (pp. 27-28) suggest those of Engine, The Devil is 

e For the reference to "five to one" (p. 9 ) , cf . Every Man in his 
Humor, II, 1, The Tempest, III, 3. See The Gamester, V, 1, Henry 
IV, Part I, II, 4, for the terming Freshwater a "shotten herring" 
(p. 9). See for the mention of the toothpick (p. 10) The Grateful 
Servant, III, 1, The Constant Maid, III, 2, Volpone, II, 1 (Parrott, 
as cited, p. 877). The term "a complete gentleman" (p. 12) does 
not occur in Love in a Maze, I, 1, as Parrott says it does (ibid., p. 
878). 

7 For the ballad-woman and the "singing in her head" (p. 22 ) , cf . 
All Fools, V, 1 {ibid.). 

s "Moleeatcher" (p. 25) is applied to Rawbone in The Wedding, 
III, 2 (ibid.). 



412 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

an Ass, II, 1. Cf. also the projects in The Triumph of 
Peace, and Captain Underwit, II, 3. 9 For Winfield 's 
eavesdropping, note I, 2, V, 1, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. 
Winfield 's comparison of his courtship of Lucina to a siege 
(p. 35) suggests Suckling's lines 'Tis now since I sat down 
(published 1646 ). 10 

Act III, Sc. 1. See for the dancing-lesson under the 
preceding scene. 

Sc. 2. 11 The comparing of notes by rivals for a lady's 
hand and the discovery that she had been tricking them 
and their subsequent actions are drawn from Hyde Park, 
1,1. 

Sc. 3. For Freshwater 's satire on the foreign painters 
in London (pp. 45-46), see under The Humorous Courtier, 
IV, l. 12 What painter the dramatist refers to here is un- 
known. He seems to have had a wife of doubtful virtue 
who was intimate with a butcher. For Barker's attempt 
at injuring Rainbow in the estimation of the ladies, see 
under The Example, II, 1. 

Sc. 4. The suitors' railing on Lucina is drawn from 
Hyde Park, II, 4. The incident occurs again in The Lady 
of Pleasure, III, 4. There, Bornwell, like Winfield, hears 
the wits' jeering and defends the lady against them. In 
Hyde Park, Fairfield enters as Rider and Venture leave. 

a The mention of Lamount's "head of hair" (p. 31) is paralleled in 
The Gamester, III, 3. For the allusion to the "Knights of the post" 
(p. 33), cf. Love Tricks, I, 1. See King John, I, 1, All Fools, III, 
1, and Steevens' note to the first play for Bostock's coming in at the 
"wicket" (ibid.). 

io Cf. The Example, II, 1 (ibid., pp. 878-79). 

ii For "your nose is wiped," cf. All Fools, V, 1, The City Wit, 
V (ibid., p. 879). 

12 Cf. Freshwater on the "dejecting" of Englishmen (p. 45) with 
the Tutor, The Witty Fair One, II, 1. For the allusion to "regalios" 
(p. 46), see The Lady of Pleasure, V, 1 (ibid.). 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 413 

Cf. also Montague and the suitors, The Honest Man's For- 
tune, V, 3. Fleay's statement that Winfield 's "This is a 
tale of a tub, lady" (p. 54), is a reference to Jonson's play 
(which had not yet appeared) (Biog. Chron., II, 239) is 
plainly incorrect. A "tale of a tub" is an untruth told 
to divert the auditor from some action or opinion which the 
speaker does not desire done, or formed. Winfield 's "Is't 
possible to be honest at these years?" (p. 54) seems a 
reminiscence of Evadne's "A maidenhead, Amintor, At 
my years?" The Maid's Tragedy, II, 1, or Manto's "A 
virgin, madam, at my years?" The Renegado, III, 1. For 
the test of Winfield, cf. IV, 3, and see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. 

Act IV, Sc. 1. Cf. Bostock's account of his quarrel 
with Winfield and of his own conduct with Bubulcus' story 
of his duel, Love Tricks, IV, 6. For the allusion to 
"gumm'd taffeta" (p. 56), see under The Lady of Pleas- 
ure, II, 2. 13 Koeppel thinks Bostock's "This talking will 
undo me" (p. 60) was suggested by Parolles' remarks on his 
tongue, All's Well that Ends Well, IV, 1 (Shakespeare's 
Wirkung, p. 60). Koeppel compares Barker and Parolles. 
For analogues to Lord Rainbow's lines on true nobility, 
pp. 62-63, see under The Royal Master, III, 3. 14 

Sc. 2. Cf. the ladies' trick upon Lamount and Travers 
with Lillia-Bianca and Pinac, The Wild Goose Chase, IV, 
1, 2. 15 

is "Running o' the ticket" (p. 56) is mentioned in The Bird in a 
Cage, I, 1, II, 1; note Sir Giles Goosecap, IV, 2 (ibid.). "Let it go 
around" (p. 57) occurs in the same connection as above in The 
Gamester, V, 1 (Hid. p. 880). 

1* For the mention of the Stilyard (p. 62), cf. The Lady of 
Pleasure, V, 1, and see Parrott, as cited. For the allusion to the 
"blades" (p. 63) see The Gamester, I, 1 (ibid.). 

i5 Parrott notes "figaries" (p. 67) and IV, 3 (p. 73) as occurring 
in Love Tricks, II, 5 ( sic ; there are but two scenes in the act ) , The 
Bird in a Cage, III, 2, 3 (ibid.). 



414 

Sc. 3. For the allusion to Venus and Adonis (p. 72) 
see under The Doubtful Heir, IV, 2. Cf. Koeppel, Re- 
flexe der Ritter Romane im Drama, p. 202, note, for the 
references to Guy of Warwick and Bevis of Hampton (p. 
72). Hyde Park and Spring Garden are alluded to as 
places of resort (p. 74 ). 16 For the allusion to "corantos" 
(p. 74), see under The Gamester, III, 3. Lucina's pre- 
tense of poverty in order to test Winfield (p. 76) is based 
seemingly on Lady Heartwell's conduct toward Valentine, 
Wit without Money, V, 4. For the test itself, cf. Ill, 4, 
and see Chap. IV, Sect. 15. 

Act V, Se. 1. See under Captain Underwit, III, 2, for 
an analogue to Freshwater 's " travels," and note the bur- 
lesque news, The Gamester, III, 3. For Rainbow's eaves- 
dropping, see Chap. IV, Sect. 30. Fleay finds a reference 
(p. 79) to Bartholomew Fair (Biog. Chron., II, 239). The 
title of the play, as Freshwater gives it, is Martheme. No 
play is known, however, with a title resembling that men- 
tioned by Freshwater. Following is a reference to the 
actresses who appeared in London in 1629. The Queen 
may be alluded to among "some ladies, inns o' court gen- 
tlemen, and others" who desired actresses on the English 
stage. Shirley, himself, might be included in the second 
class. For the masque, see Chap. IV, Sect. 18, and note 
also under The Coronation, IV, 3, Cupid in Shirley's 
masques. 

HI. The Nightwalker 

The Nightwalker, or the Little Thief, was licensed 
May 11, 1633, as by Fletcher and corrected by Shirley. 17 
In 1640, it was published as by Fletcher alone, having been 

16 Cf. Hyde Park, II, 4 (ibid., p. 881). 

17 For the source, see Miss Ott, Die Italienische Novelle im 
Englischen Drama, p. 74 ff. 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 415 

entered in the Stationers' Register for Master Crooke and 
William Cooke, April 25, 1639, as The Nightwalters [sic], 
together with three other plays of Shirley 's, and Fletcher 's 
Wit without Money. 

The date of the earlier version of The Nightwalker is a 
point concerning which scholars disagree. Thorndike 
places the play in 1612 (The Influence of Beaumont and 
Fletcher on Shakespeare, p. 92) ; Fleay dates it about 1614 
(Biog. Chron., I, 197) ; while Oliphant advances a date 
before 1610 or after 1613 as the time of its first presenta- 
tion (Englische Studien, XV, 350). 

As to the amount of "correcting" which Shirley did 
there is a greater difference of opinion. Most scholars find 
extensive alterations by him. Boyle considers the play 
entirely Fletcher's to the end of III, 2. Of the remain- 
der, III, 5, 6, IV, 3, 4, 5, V, 1, 2, down to "enter Heart- 
love," and from "enter Nurse, Maria, etc.," to the end 
of the play is Fletcher's, while the rest is Shirley's (Eng- 
lische Studien, VIII, 53). Oliphant gives to Fletcher I, 
1 (from Heartlove's entrance to the end of the act), II, 
1, 2, 3, and the last nine speeches of 4, III, 1, 2, 3 (from 
Lurcher's entrance), 5, IV, 1, 3, 4. To Fletcher and Shir- 
ley he gives I, 1 (to Heartlove's entrance), II, 4 (from 
Lurcher's entrance), III, 3 (to Lurcher's entrance), 4, 6, 
IV, 5, V, 1, 2 (from "Maria goes to Alathe" to the end). 
Shirley alone he thinks the author of II, 4 (to Lurcher's 
entrance), IV, 2, 6, V, 2 (to "Maria goes to Alathe") 
(Englische Studien, XV, 350). Fleay asserts that the un- 
altered Fletcherian portions are I, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, II, 1, 2. 
The scenes altered by Shirley are III, 1, and V, 2, while 
I, 3, III, 3, IV, 1, 3, 4, V, 1, were rewritten by Shirley 
(Biog. Chron., I, 197). In Englische Studien, IX, 21, 
Fleay says Shirley's part may be traced by the names 
Wildbrain and Nicholas, Fletcher's by Wildgoose and 



416 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

Toby. Were this the case, I, 2, 6, would be the only scenes 
untouched by Shirley. 

It seems rather unlikely that The Nightwalker should 
have been subjected in 1633 to any such extensive revision 
as the scholars above quoted seem to believe to be the case. 
It will be noticed that their results are not at all the same. 
They even do not agree upon the ascription of III, 3, 4, 
to Shirley whose hand is certainly evident in the allusions 
to Histriomastix. Further, why should Fletcher's work 
have been practically rewritten? He had by no means 
gone out of fashion in the eight years since his death : wit- 
ness how his plays held the stage, how they influenced con- 
temporary drama, and how they were alluded to by writers 
of the time. Had Shirley rewritten The Nightwalker in 
any such way as Boyle, Oliphant, and Fleay indicate, it 
would probably have been entered as his, and certainly 
his name would have been at least on the titlepage of the 
1640 edition. 

What seems most probably to have occurred in the case 
of this play is that Shirley made some slight changes in it, 
such as the changing of the names of the original Wild- 
goose and Nicholas, and the introduction of the references 
to Histriomastix already noted. That his revision was a 
hasty and rather perfunctory one seems indicated by the 
fact that both the names "Wildgoose" and * ' Wildbrain ' ' 
are found in I, 4, and "Nick" and "Toby" in II, 1, and 
III, 1. The unmorality of the play seems certainly Fletch- 
er's. There seems to be no reason why Fletcher's dialogue 
should have been rewritten to a considerable extent by 
Shirley. The case is like that of The Ball, probably: a 
hasty alteration of a play by changing the dramatis 
personal (accounting thus for the discrepancies in name) 
and the introduction of some speeches, with perhaps an 
alteration of others (cf. Dyce, Works of Beaumont and 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 417 

Fletcher, XI, 121. He thinks the greater part of the play 
Fletcher's). 

IV. Chdbot 

The Tragedy of Chabot, Admiral of France, was licensed 
April 29, 1635. It was entered in the Stationers' Register 
for Master Crooke and William Cooke, October 24, 1638, 
as by Shirley and was published in 1639 as by Chapman 
and Shirley. 

Scholars have been nearly unanimous in attributing the 
greater part of Chabot to Chapman. Gifford, Dyce, the 
Quarterly Review critic (XLIX, 29, note), Nason, Boas, 
Ward, Swinburne, Schipper, Lehman, and Neilson, agree 
in assigning the larger portion, or even all the play, to 
Chapman. Only Genest, Parrott and Fleay give Shirley 
any considerable share in it. Genest (IX, 553) assigns 
the first two acts to Chapman, and the last three to Shir- 
ley. To Chapman's share in Genest 's division of the play, 
Fleay adds the prose speeches in III, 1 (sic; 2, in fact), 
and V, 2 (Biog. Chron., II, 241). Parrott finds a careful 
revision of the play by Shirley, with occasionally a com- 
pletely rewritten scene (Chapman's Tragedies, p. 633). 

Parrott 's investigation, as being careful and searching, 
merits discussion. According to him, Chabot was com- 
posed by Chapman in 1612 or 1613, the source being the 
1611 edition of Estienne Pasquier's Recherches de la 
France, Bk. V, Chap. XII. The play, when completed, 
was turned over to the Queen's Revels Company and so 
descended to Queen Henrietta's Men. At Chapman's 
death the play was resurrected, furbished up by Shirley, 
and reproduced. Shirley has cut down long epic speeches, 
expunged sententious moralization, filled in with lively 
dialogue, and has strengthened the figures of the wife and 
Queen for a feminine interest. Following in a condensed 



418 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

form are Parrott's judgments as to the authorship of the 
various scenes of Chabot as expressed in his notes to that 
tragedy (Chapman's Tragedies, p. 639 ff.) : I, 1 — almost 
pure Chapman; 2 — Shirley at the beginning and else- 
where, but in bulk Chapman's; II, 1 — wholly Shirley's in 
metre, diction and ease of dialogue; 2 — essentially Chap- 
man's; revision by Shirley visible; 3 — essentially Chap- 
man's; possibly cut at 1. 134; III, 1 — almost wholly Shir- 
ley's; simplicity, clearness of diction; jealousy and change 
of heart of the Queen Shirley's; 2 — almost wholly Chap- 
man's; elaborate prose speeches more in his style than 
Shirley's; Shirley has touched up the scene and seems to 
have imitated it in The Traitor, III, 1 ; hence he must 
have known the play in MS. ( !) ; IV, 1 — Shirley and 
Chapman blended; first 120 lines mainly Shirley's, and 
latter part of the scene revised by him ; V, 1 — originally by 
Chapman, and revised by Shirley; evidences of double 
authorship evident; 2 — mainly, if not wholly, Chapman's; 
prose speeches certainly his and the greater part of the 
verse, although Shirley may have added and revised some 
lines; 3 — a substratum of Chapman, heavily overlaid with 
Shirley. 

It appears hardly probable that such an extended and 
careful revision of Chabot was made by Shirley. What 
may with a reasonable degree of certainty be said is that 
the scenes involving the Queen and the Wife (III, I, IV, 1) 
owe more or less to Shirley. In addition to this, Ward's 
theory that the prose speeches in III, 2, and V, 2, are 
Shirley's (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., II, 446) seems very well 
founded. The fact of the matter is, it would seem, that 
Chabot, like Chapman's other tragedies, having been de- 
void of any comic element at all when it came into Shir- 
ley's hands, he supplied the deficiency by paraphrasing, 
perhaps, the Advocate's speech in the original play and by 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 419 

emphasizing his change of sides. The mention by the 
Proctor-general (or Advocate) of a scarcity of fish as in- 
ducing mortal sin by preventing fasting on the proper 
days (III, 2) may perhaps be taken as pointing toward a 
Catholic author, such as Shirley was. Parrott's conjecture 
that Shirley borrowed for Rogero's speech, III, 1, The 
Traitor, from these scenes is undoubtedly without founda- 
tion. The true situation seems to be that Shirley here 
borrowed from the comic element of his own earlier play. 18 
It is perhaps worth noting that the Proctor-general of 
III, 2, is called the " Advocate" in IV, 1, and V, 2. This 
inconsistency points to a hasty alteration of the play which 
is indicated also by the fact that only five characters are 
named in the tragedy. Shirley practically always pro- 
vided names for his characters. 

V. Captain Underwit 

In 1883, Bullen published in his second volume of Old 
Plays (first series) a comedy from Harleian MS. T6 50 
which, after Halliwell (Diet. 0. E. Plays, p. 42), he called 
Captain Underwit. In the introduction to his reprint of 
the play, Bullen attributed it positively to Shirley, and 
there and in his notes pointed out a number of resem- 
blances to the undoubted plays of Shirley. Captain Un- 
derwit is, however, no other than the Duke of Newcastle's 
Country Captain, which was printed in 1649 with The 
Variety. 19 The MS. from which Bullen printed the play 
differs but slightly from the printed version of 1649. 

But there is a strong probability, indeed almost a cer- 

is Schipper suggests that Shirley wrote Chabot's conversation with 
Allegre, V, 3, his Wife's speech in III, l } and the Queen's, IV, 1, 
and elsewhere (James Shirley, p. 182). 

19 The expression "captain for your country" occurs in III, 3, (p. 
366). 



420 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

tainty, that Bullen's attribution of Captain Underwit (or 
The Country Captain) to Shirley is partially correct. 
"Wood states that Shirley assisted Newcastle in the " com- 
posure of certain plays which the Duke afterwards pub- 
lished" (Ath. Oxon., Ill, 739). To Newcastle Shirley 
dedicated The Traitor, and to him he addressed the lines 
found on VI, 435, of the Gifford-Dyce edition. Also, ac- 
cording to Wood, on the breaking out of the Civil War, 
Shirley entered the royal service under the Duke where 
he served until the flight of the latter to France (Ath. 
Oxon., Ill, 737). In the Plays of the King's Men (Malone 
Society, Collections, I, 368-69) it may be significant that 
The Country Captain follows immediately Shirley's Im- 
posture. Here we see ample grounds for conjecturing that 
Shirley collaborated with his patron on Captain Under- 
wit, at least. 

Bullen based his theory of Shirley's authorship on the 
general style of the play and on a number of resemblances 
in more minute particulars to passages in various of the 
undoubted plays of Shirley. In the following discussion 
some additional points which Bullen overlooked or omitted 
for want of space or time will be brought forward. The 
ascription of Captain Underwit, or of any part of it, ap- 
parently, to Shirley has met both with approval and with 
opposition. Firth says that it "seems clear that much of 
the work is Shirley's. Some of the verses interspersed 
are Newcastle's. He wrote many passages and doubtless 
conceived the plan of the play, but to fit it for the stage 
he had to call in the aid of an expert dramatist and owed 
more to his assistant than he owned" (Life of William, 
Duke of Newcastle, Editor's Preface, p. xviii). 20 Koeppel 

20 The fact that Margaret Lucas was married to the Duke of New- 
castle about December, 1645, three years after the closing of the 
theatres, and over a year after the Duke had left England, helps 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 421 

thinks the comedy largely Shirley's (Shakespeare's Wirk- 
ung, p. 64; cf. Ben Jonson's Wirkung, p. 178, where he 
calls it doubtlessly Shirley's). Swinburne considers it 
''mainly if not altogether the work of Shirley" (Fort- 
nightly Review, June 1, 1890, p. 476). On the other hand, 
Ward does not accord a ready assent to Bullen 's ascription 
of Captain Underwit to Shirley (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 
120). Fleay, animated by personal pique seemingly, at- 
tacks Bullen and asperses the soundness of his critical 
judgment in calling the comedy Shirley's (Biog. Chron., 
I, 48-49). Dyce says, "The style of his Grace's dramas 
would certainly have induced me to suspect the truth of 
this statement [Wood's], if I had not discovered, that a 
drinking-song which is inserted in the Duke's comedy 
called The Country Captain is printed among our author's 
Poems" (I, xliii). 

The date of Captain Underwit has been set between 
1639 and 1642. The list of the Plays of the King's Men, 
already cited, shows that the comedy had been acted by 
August 7, 1641, the date of the document. The earlier 
date has been set because of the mention of the Pacification 
of Berwick (I, 1, p. 321) which was concluded in June, 
1639. There is also a reference to the great ship (III, 3, 
p. 369) which was built in 1637. The allusion to the cup 
at Newmarket, according to historians of the turf, would 
date the play after 1640 when, they say, racing at New- 
market began, but there is a reference to Newmarket races 
in Hyde Park, V, 1 (produced 1632; printed 1637). In 
I, 2, there is a mention of the "Proclamation commanding 
the gentry to keep their residence in at their mansions in 
the Country and forbidding them to make their habitations 
in London and places adjoining," which was made June 20, 

to account for the fact that nowhere in her Life of her husband does 
she mention Shirley. 



422 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

1632. This would seem to indicate an earlier date for the 
play than any heretofore offered, since it seems unlikely 
that a proclamation at least seven years earlier would be 
alluded to among other strictly contemporary references. 

This allusion, together with certain other points, makes 
it not absolutely impossible to identify Captain Underwit 
with what has been considered a lost play of Shirley's — 
Look to the Lady. 21 This play which would seem to have 
been a comedy was entered in the Stationers' Register, 
March 10, 1639-40, but was seemingly never printed. It 
was the last of the plays entered by John Williams and 
Francis Egglesfeild. The date of the entry was about the 
time of Shirley's return from Ireland. It is certainly not 
impossible, nor is it especially improbable that these pub- 
lishers, Williams and Egglesfeild had obtained a MS. of 
Captain Underwit, which they renamed, and were pre- 
paring to publish as Shirley's, when that author returning 
to England discovered their intention and put a stop to the 
publication of the play, or it may have been that the then 
Earl of Newcastle halted its printing. The fact that The 
Arcadia was published by these men under the date of 
1640 need not stand in the way, as that may have ap- 
peared shortly after the beginning of the year (old style) 
and before Shirley's arrival in England. Furthermore, 
Look to the Lady was not licensed for performance in Eng- 
land as far as we know. The only play of Shirley's pre- 
sented in Ireland and printed during his stay there is The 
Royal Master which was licensed in England. Look to 
the Lady, if a rechristened play of Newcastle's and Shir- 
ley's, would nearly certainly not have been licensed under 
the latter 's name and hence would not appear in Malone's 
extracts from Herbert's Officebook. Then no reason has 

2i Nissen says of Look to the Lady "hochst wahrscheinlich nicht 
von ihm [Shirley] verfasst" (James Shirley, p. 21). 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLATS 423 

ever been advanced for the withdrawal of this play from 
publication and for its never having been published, even 
during Shirley's later years when he seems to have put 
into print everything available. The title of the sup- 
posedly lost play would fit Captain Underwit admirably; 
for if ever a woman needed looking to, it is Lady Huntlove 
in that play. Then if we are to identify Captain Under- 
wit with Look to the Lady we must place its date before 
1636. The preceding year, 1635, would seem approxi- 
mately appropriate, in view of the fact that we know from 
the dedication of The Traitor in that year that the Earl 
and the playwright were then more or less acquainted. 
Pepys, who saw The Country Captain, October 26, 1661, 
calls the performance "the first time it hath been acted 
this twenty-five years" (Diary, II, 118). This would 
throw the date of performance back to 1636. Pepys ' state- 
ment, however, cannot be accepted as conclusive. The 
early date would account for the otherwise slightly anti- 
quated allusion to the royal proclamation. The references 
to events after 1635 or '36, may be explained by the suppo- 
sition that Newcastle, or perhaps Shirley, had revised the 
play. 

What part of Captain Underwit is Shirley's is extremely 
difficult to decide. Firth's opinion, as given above, is hard 
to accept. It seems much more probable from the nature 
of the plot of the comedy that both Newcastle and Shirley 
worked on it together, and that they contributed to the 
dialogue together. The allusions to the militia and to the 
lord lieutenant in I, 1, seem to indicate Newcastle's hand 
(Newcastle, when still Viscount Mansfield, was Lord Lieu- 
tenant of Nottinghamshire), as do those to racing and to 
horses in Sc. 2, of that act. The numerous literary allu- 
sions in the play also are not in Shirley's manner. But 
Shirley shows some knowledge of racing in Hyde Park, so 



424 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

that he may have been responsible for the reference here 
(see under Hyde Park, IV, 3). It may be asserted fairly 
safely, however, that the parallels in incident and lan- 
guage noted later indicate the hand of Shirley, for his 
inveterate repetition of himself has been very plainly 
shown in the foregoing chapters. 

The plot of Captain Underwit is a combination of themes 
from three of Shirley's plays. The intrigue of Sir Francis 
and Lady Huntlove is based on Lady Bornwell and her 
followers in The Lady of Pleasure ; Courtwell 's winning of 
the Sister is derived from the courtship of Carol by Fair- 
field in Hyde Park ; and the gulling of Underwit by Doro- 
thy is founded on the trick played on Sir Nicholas by 
Sensible in The Witty Fair One. As to characters, in 
Huntlove we have a repetition of Bornwell in The Lady of 
Pleasure. Lady Huntlove is of the same type as Lady 
Bornwell in the same play and Lady Plot in The Example. 
Device is related to Kickshaw and Littleworth in The Lady 
of Pleasure, while nearly a repetition of Caperwit in Love 
in a Maze. Underwit and Thomas are examples of the 
foolish gentleman and servant, already dealt with in 
Chap. IV, Sect. 45. Engine, the projector, as Koeppel 
says, may be derived from Engine and Meer craft in The 
Devil is an Ass (Ben Jonson's Wirkung, p. 178). Cf. also 
the projectors in The Triumph of Peace, The Antipodes, 
and The Court Beggar. The Sister belongs to the witty 
young woman type, for which see Chap. IV, Sect. 40. 
Dorothy, the witty maid, has for prototype Sensible in 
The Witty Fair One; she is a sort of female Gorgon (see 
Love Tricks), or Brainworm. 

An outline of Captain Underwit follows: 
Sir Richard Huntlove, who is advanced in years, grows 
jealous of his young gay wife and goes down from London 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 425 

to his estate in the country. With the pair go Sir Francis 
Courtwell who loves Lady Huntlove, her Sister, and Court- 
well, a nephew of Sir Francis who is in love with her, 
Device, a fantastical gallant, Engine, a projector, Captain 
Underwit, Huntlove 's stepson by his first wife, who has 
just received his commission in the trained bands, Captain 
Sackbury, a drunken old soldier and his mentor, and Doro- 
thy, Lady Huntlove 's maid who has designs on Underwit. 
Sir Francis prevails upon Lady Huntlove to grant him an 
assignation. He pretends illness, and remains at home 
while Huntlove goes hunting. Suddenly returning, the 
latter surprises them together, but his wife pretends to be 
sleep-walking and she and her lover come off safely. They 
then arrange another meeting. Lady Huntlove pretends 
to have a toothache. She rises from her bed to pace the 
floor, and Dorothy slips into her place, while her mistress 
goes to Sir Francis' room. However, he has fallen asleep, 
so she leaves a note by him and returns to her room. A 
third assignation is arranged. Sir Eichard and Sir Francis 
leave for London. The latter is to fall from his horse and 
simulate injury so as to be forced to return to Sir Eich- 
ard 's. He does fall in reality, is seriously hurt, and, tak- 
ing his misadventures as a warning, is converted to peni- 
tence. His nephew, who has been jeered by the Sister, re- 
pays her in her own coin and leaves her. Device then steals 
Courtwell's sword, but is pursued by him. He then 
demonstrates Device's cowardice before his mistress. She 
is attracted by Courtwell's coldness toward her, confesses 
her love to him, and the two are married. Dorothy has a 
footman come to Sir Eichard with a letter which states 
that she is the runaway daughter of a wealthy knight. 
Underwit learns of the letter, and, thinking her of good 
birth, marries her after which the imposition is revealed. 



Engine furnishes some comic passages by pretending mad- 
ness as a device for escaping from the consequences of 
some of his projects. 

Act I, Sc. 1. The allusions to the trained bands, and 
to the Lord Lieutenant would indicate Newcastle's hand as 
noted. For the reference to Bardolph's definition of "ac- 
commodated," see Henry IV, Part II, III, 2 (cf. II, 2, for 
another allusion to Shakespeare). For the business with 
the list (p. 321), cf. The Opportunity, IV, 1. For the 
character of Captain Sackbury (pp. 322-23), see Chap. 
IV, Sect. 21. Sir Richard's desire to return to the country 
is based on The Lady of Pleasure, I, 1 (cf. also The Noble 
Gentleman, II, 1). For the use of the expression "a la 
mode" (p. 329) see under V, 1, and cf. Honoria and Mam- 
mon, and The Variety, II, 1, III, 1, V, 1. Cf. the mention 
of a ball (p. 330) with The Ball and The Lady of Pleasure, 
I, 1. Bullen notes (p. 330) a parallel between Device's 
reference to the "new play," and The Witty Fair One, 
IV, 2. Sir Francis' speech to the Sister (p. 334) begin- 
ning - ' Sweet lady, I beseech you muzzle your beagle ..." 
is utilized in The Variety, II, 1, by Newman to Simpleton 
in the lines beginning "Dismiss your beagles. ..." 

Act II (Sc. 1). For "Bu'oy" for "good-bye" (p. 338), 
cf. The Constant Maid, I, 1, and note "God bu'y," Henry 
VI, Part I, III, 2, Hamlet, II, 2, IV, 5. Bullen suggests 
that "Agamemnon in the play" (p. 339) refers to Troilus 
and Cressida; Koeppel in Shakespeare's Wirkung, p. 65, 
considers the allusion to be to Shirley's Contention of 
Ajax and Ulysses. Other plays in which Agamemnon fig- 
ures are The Iron Age, Parts I, II (printed 1632), and 
Goffe's Orestes (1623; printed 1633). An allusion to The 
Alchemist occurs, p. 339. For the use of "leveret" (p. 
340) Bullen cites Honoria and Mammon, I, 2. 

Sc. 2. References to taverns occur, p. 341. Cf. The 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 427 

Lady of Pleasure, IV, 2, The Wedding, II, 1, Wit without 
Money, II, 4. For the mention of Shakespeare's Plays 
(p. 342), see under I, 1. Device and the Sister (p. 344 ff.) 
suggest Caperwit's courtship, Love in a Maze, I, 2, II, 2. 
The Sister and Courtwell (p. 348 ff.) seem based on Carol 
and Fairfield, Hyde Park, I, 2. Koeppel points out a 
parody by the Sister (p. 349) of Hamlet, I, 4, 5, (Shake- 
speare's Wirkung, p. 65). Cf. the use of "sweet sir" 
(p. 349) with Startup's use of the same in The Constant 
Maid. The ballad of The Lady's Downfall is referred to 
(p. 350). Bullen refers for Courtwell's ornate speech to 
the Sister and her parody in reply (p. 350) to The Lady 
of Pleasure, V, 1. The law-French (p. 351) suggests Shir- 
ley's hand. 

Sc. 3. Bullen finds a close parallel in The Duke's Mis- 
tress, IV, 1, for "To chain him with the cordage of his 
hair ..." (p. 353). Koeppel finds a plagiarism (p. 354) 
in Engine's projected monopoly of periwigs from The 
Court Beggar, I, 1 (Ben Jonson's Wirkung, p. 179). 
There is certainly some relationship between the two pas- 
sages. For projectors, see under The Triumph of Peace. 

Act III, Sc. 1. The arrangements of Sir Thomas and 
Lady Huntlove in this scene and in V, 4, for securing a 
meeting suggest Fowler's pretended illness, The Witty 
Fair One, III, 4. Note, as a parallel to her dream, Kate 's 
"sleep-walking," Northward Ho, III, 2. For the lady's 
excuses to her husband, cf. The Lovers' Progress, III, 3. 

Sc. 2. For Device's verses, see Chap. IV, Sect. 22. Cf. 
his "travels," as set down in the verses, with The Ball, 
V, 1, and Bobadill's various adventures as recounted in 
Every Man in his Humor, and note The Antipodes. 

Sc. 3. "Rotten," as meaning "to have by heart," con- 
jectured "rooted" by Bullen (p. 366), occurs in The 
Humorous Courtier, III, 1, The Constant Maid, III, 2. 



For the pretended madness of Engine (p. 368 ff.), see 
under The Cardinal, V, 3 (cf. also Love Tricks, II, 2). 
As a source, see The Devil is an Ass, V, 3, 5. Cf . the men- 
tion of the cup at Newmarket (p. 368) with Hyde Park, 
IV, 3 (not Sc. 1, as Bullen cites it). 

Act IV, Sc. 1. For the drinking scene (according to 
Bullen occurring at the end of the MS.), see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 26. The Catch printed among Shirley's Poems (VI, 
439) was inserted at the opening of this scene. A refer- 
ence to The White Devil occurs, p. 375. 

Sc. 2. "The receipt of cosenage" (p. 379) seems an 
allusion possibly to such plays as The Parson's Wedding. 
Engine's vomiting projects (p. 380) is based on Crispinus 
and his vocabulary, The Poetaster, V, 1, but cf. The Devil 
is an Ass, V, 5. 

Sc. 3. For Courtwell's railing on the Sister, see Chap. 

IV, Sect. 20, and especially Hyde Park, II, 4, V, 1. Bullen 
refers (p. 384) to The Duke's Mistress, IV, 1. Cf. Court- 
well's speech, "I shall be very loath ..." (p. 383) with 
Fowler's, The Witty Fair One, I, 3 (p. 287). "Sister's 
thread" (p. 384) Bullen finds employed in Hyde Park, 

V, 1, The Honest Whore, Part I, IV, 3, The Lady's Trial. 
Fletcher's Woman Hater is referred to, p. 387 (cf. The 
Humorous Courtier, II, 2). Cf. the trick by which Device 
gets Courtwell's sword with Fulbank's artifice in Honoria 
and Mammon, I, 1. 

Sc. 4 consists of a soliloquy by Sir Francis. 

Sc. 5. The pretended toothache of the lady suggests 
that of Calista, The Lovers' Progress, III, 3. For some- 
what similar scenes, cf. The Witty Fair One, III, 1, The 
City Nightcap, II, 1. A reference to Dametas and the 
bear, Sidney's Arcadia, pp. 70-71, occurs, p. 392. 

Sc. 6. An analogue for this scene occurs, perhaps, in 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 429 

some collection of stories (a lady comes to her lover's room, 
finds him asleep, and goes away, leaving him a note). 

Act V, Sc. 1. "Your Alamode" (p. 395) (see I, 1) 
suggests Alamode in Honoria and Mammon. For the ex- 
pression " feather 'd footed servant," see under The Tri- 
umph of Beauty. See Chap. IV, Sect. 1, for the Sister's 
confession of her love to Courtwell, and for their recon- 
ciliation, cf. Carol and Fairfield, Hyde Park, V, 1. For 
"myself in this small volume Against your bulk in folio" 
(p. 399), cf. Love Tricks, I, 1. The reference to the city 
pageants (p. 399) should be compared with A Conten- 
tion for Honor and Riches, Sc. 1, and Honoria and Mam- 
mon, I, 1. For Courtwell 's eavesdropping, see Chap. IV, 
Sect. 30. Device's cowardice recalls Bubulcus, Love 
Tricks, II, 1. 

Sc. 2. Sir Francis plans to counterfeit a fall from his 
horse. 

Sc. 3. Bullen quotes a line which occurs in The Bird 
in a Cage, IV, 1. 

Sc. 4. Dorothy's gulling Underwit seems based on Sen- 
sible and Treedle, The Witty Fair One, V, 3. For the con- 
version of Sir Francis, see Chap. IV, Sect. 10. 

VI, VII. Other Plays of the Duke of Newcastle 

Besides Captain Underwit, or The Country Captain, the 
Duke of Newcastle seems to have been sole or part author 
of The Variety (published 1649), The Humorous Lovers 
(published 1677), The Triumphant Widow, and a transla- 
tion of Moliere's L'Etourdi (adapted by Dryden as Sir 
Martin Mar-all). He also contributed five scenes to the 
Duchess of Newcastle's Lady Contemplation (Firth's edi- 
tion of The Life of William, Duke of Newcastle, p. 109, 
note). "A book containing songs and sketches of plays 



430 Shirley's plays and the Elizabethan drama 

in the handwriting of the Duke is preserved at Welbeck" 
(ibid.). Only Captain Underwit and The Variety, accord- 
ing to Schelling (Eliz. Dram., II, 283), were produced be- 
fore the Civil War. The Variety shows to a certain de- 
gree the influence of Shirley (cf. Schelling, ibid.), but 
there is little to lead one to believe that he had anything 
to do with its composition. It is a dull and labored comedy 
with little wit and less characterization. The Academy, 
III, 1, is strongly reminiscent of the Compliment School 
of Love Tricks, III, 5. Among the characters, Galliard, 
the French dancing-master, and Simpleton, the gull, with 
his servant, James, recall respectively Le Frisk in The 
Ball, and the foolish masters and men listed in Chap. IV, 
Sect. 45. 22 

Some considerable part of The Triumphant Widow was 
incorporated in Shadwell's Bury Fair, thereby leading 
Firth (Life of William, Duke of Newcastle, Editor's Pref- 
ace, p. xix) to conjecture very reasonably that Shadwell, 
having aided the Duke in composing the play, was merely 
taking back his own work. 

The Humorous Lovers, which was seen by Pepys, March 
30, 1667 (Diary, VI, 233, mentioned 254), is, in spite of 
that gentleman's censure (almost a certain sign of a play's 
worth), an amusing piece of work. In plot it shows such 
a strong influence of Shirley as to suggest a deliberate 
drawing upon that writer's work, and in style it resembles 
Shirley's plays also, as it has passages of very lively and 
entertaining dialogue. It contains reminiscences of The 
Ball, Hyde Park, Love in a Maze, and Love Tricks. The 
strong probability of its being probably only the result of 
a study of Shirley or, at most, the working up of a rough 

22 The Variety was made into a droll and published as The French 
Dancing Master in The Wits (1672) (Life of the Duke of Newcastle, 
p. 109, note by Firth). 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS 431 

draft of a comedy, prevents a more detailed consideration 
in this place. There is no evidence of its having been 
acted before the Civil War. 

VIII. Double Falsehood 

On December 13, 1727, Double Falsehood, or The Dis- 
tressed Lovers, was presented at Drury Lane, as a play 
" written originally by W. Shakespeare; and now revised 
and adapted to the stage by Mr. Theobald, the author of 
Shakespeare Kestored" (see Genest, III, 203-4). The 
play seems to have been not unfavorably received, having 
been acted twelve nights (Biog. Dram., II, 173). Double 
Falsehood was revived at Covent Garden, April 24, 1767, 
as Gibson's benefit (Genest, V, 136), and was played as 
Hull's benefit on May 6 of the same year {ibid.). Other 
performances were at Bath on May 19, 1781 (with Mrs. 
Siddons as Leonora), and on May 23, 1793 (ibid., VI, 210, 
VII, 117, respectively). It was played at Covent Garden 
"for the first time in twenty-six years," June 6, 1781, as 
Wild's benefit (ibid., VII, 34). First printed in 1728, the 
play went into a second edition in the same year. It was 
also issued in Dublin. Later editions are those of 1740, 
and 1767 (Jaggard, Shakespeare Bibliography, p. 304). 

The source of Double Falsehood is the History of Car- 
denio, as related in Don Quixote, Part I, Chaps. XXIV, 
XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX, XXXVI, of which it is a fairly 
close dramatization. Adventures on The Black Mountains, 
a tale published in London in 1729, which has been given 
as the source of the play (Jaggard, Shakespeare Bibliogra- 
phy, p. 3) cannot be its original unless, of course, Double 
Falsehood is a forgery, and the story had already gone 
through one edition, but neither of these suppositions is 
likely. Schevill's article (Mod. Phil., IX, 269 ff.) in which 
he attempts to prove that Theobald, as sole author of the 



play, founded it upon the novel is a jumble of conjecture, 
assumption and prejudice which proves or disproves 
nothing. 

In his dedication of the printed play to Dodington, in 
his preface, and on the titlepage, Theobald attributes Dou- 
ble Falsehood to Shakespeare. From his preface we learn 
that Theobald had three MSS. of the play in his possession, 
all of which, we may infer, were more or less defective in 
sense. One copy, which was over sixty years of age, was 
in the handwriting of Downes, the prompter, and had been 
"early in the possession of the celebrated Mr. Betterton, 
and by him designed to have been ushered into the world.' ' 
With this MS., Theobald informs us, there was connected 
a story that Shakespeare had composed the play during his 
retirement from the stage and had given it as a "present 
of value to a natural daughter of his, for whose sake he 
wrote it." 

More as a result of animosity toward Theobald than of 
any exercise of judgment, he was accused by some critics 
of forging the play. Others, as we learn from the preface, 
attributed it to Fletcher. The first opinion, we may dis- 
miss, for there is no reason to believe that Theobald did 
not have the MSS. which he claimed to possess. 23 As to 
the Shakespearian authorship, no one has agreed with 
Theobald from his own day to the present save Gamaliel 
Bradford, Jr. (The Nation, New York, LXXXVIII, 328). 
Bradford identifies the play with the lost History of Car- 
denio by Shakespeare and Fletcher (cf. also Mod. Lang. 
Notes, XXV, 51 if.). Halliwell-Phillipps, Oliphant, Schell- 
ing, Lee, and Ward reject Theobald's theory. Lounsbury 

23 Double Falsehood is listed among Theobald's works in Biog. 
Dram., I, 706. Reed is said to have considered it Theobald's, by 
Jaggard who agrees with him (Shakespeare Bibliography, p. 304). 
Jt is not given in Halliwell's Diet. 0. E. Plays. 



ENTERTAINMENTS AND DOUBTFUL PLAYS . 433 

thinks the play not Theobald's, and sees in it many marks 
of an Elizabethan origin, although it may be a forgery 
(The Text of Shakespeare, p. 148 ff.). 

Various other authors for the original play have been 
suggested. Malone is quoted as believing it to have been 
written by Massinger (Biog. Dram., II, 173). Farmer in 
his Essay on the Learning of Shakespeare, p. 37, attributes 
Double Falsehood to Shirley, basing his attribution on the 
style and Langbaine 's statement regarding the plays which 
Shirley left in MS. Dyce agrees with Farmer (see the 
former's Works of Shirley, I, lix) and asserts that had 
he possessed one of Theobald's MSS. he would have in- 
cluded the play in Gifford's and his edition of Shirley. 
Genest also adopts Farmer's view as does a writer (Gif- 
ford?) in the Quarterly Review, VII, 290). 

However, we cannot reasonably attempt to determine the 
authorship of Double Falsehood, while the extent of Theo- 
bald 's alterations is a matter of doubt. If, as Farmer says, 
only one passage is Theobald's, it would be an easy matter 
to apply various verse-tests and thereby arrive at something 
like the truth about the authorship of the old play. How- 
ever, there are what seem unmistakable signs of Theobald's 
hand throughout the play, 24 and doubtless he contributed 
passages which can hardly be recognized, for he was by no 
means an unskilled writer of blank verse, and besides was 
thoroughly steeped in the drama of the Elizabethan period. 

Collins' judgment on the play seems most just. He is 
"all but certain that it [Double Falsehood] was founded 
on some old play, . . . but that it is for the most part 
from Theobald's own pen" (D. N. B., LVI, 120). On 
account of Theobald's skill with his pen, which is men- 
tioned above, it would be safer, perhaps, to say a "consid- 
erable part" is Theobald's. 

24 Cf. Ward, Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit., Ill, 120. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 1 

A 

BIOGRAPHICAL, CRITICAL, AND NON-DRAMATIC IL- 
LUSTRATIVE MATERIAL 

Anonymous, Art. I. The Dramatic Works and Poems of James 
Shirley. The Quarterly Review, XLIX, Iff. (April, 1833). 

Baker, David E., Reed, I., Jones, S., Biographia Dramatica. 
Three vols. London, 1812. (Biog. Dram.). 

Baskerville, C. R., The Source of the Main Plot of Shirley's Love 
Tricks. Modern Language Notes, XXIV, 100-101. (April, 
1909). (Mod. Lang. Notes). 

Bradford, Gamaliel, Jr., The History of Cardenio by Mr. Fletcher 
and Shakespeare. The Nation (New York), LXXXVIII, 
328 (April 1, 1909). Mod. Lang. Notes, XXV, 51 ff. (Feb- 
ruary, 1910). 

Bullen, A. H. (Editor), Introduction. Captain Underwit. A 
Collection of Old English Plays, II, London, 1883. (Bullen, 
Old Plays). John Fletcher, Dictionary of National Biog- 
raphy, XIX, 303 ft. (D. N. B.). 

i The following bibliography doe3 not include all the works of 
Shirley, their various editions, etc., nor does it contain the titles of 
all the books in which reference is made to Shirley. It is merely a 
list of the most important books and articles used in the preparation 
of the foregoing study. To avoid the repetition of titles, certain 
works which have been referred to in the text or notes are omitted 
here. See Nason, James Shirley, for an excellent annotated bibli- 
ography of Shirley's works and of books, articles, etc., dealing with 
that writer. 

The abbreviations for each title which is used in a shortened form 
in the text are placed in the bibliography after the titles to which 
they refer. 

434 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 435 

Burton, Robert, The Anatomy of Melancholy. . . . Two vols. 
Philadelphia, 1836. 

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de., Don Quixote. Translated by 
Thomas Shelton. Four vols. London, Philadelphia, 1895. 
Translated by Doctor Smollett. Five vols. London, 1800. 

Chambers, E. K. (Editor), Plays of the Kings' Men in 1641. 
Collections, I. Malone Society. Oxford, 1911. 

Chetwood, William Rufus, A Select Collection of Old Plays. . . . 
With an account of the authors by the Editor, W. R. C. Dub- 
lin, 1750. 

Clarendon, Edward Hyde, Earl of, History of the Rebellion and 
Civil Wars in England. Eight vols. Oxford, 1826. (Clar- 
endon, Hist.). 

Collier, J. Payne, The History of English Dramatic Poetry. 
Three vols. London, 1831. (Hist. Eng. Dram. Poet.). 

Dessoff, Albert, Uber englische, italienische, und spanische Dramen 
in den Spielverzeichnissen deutscher Wandertruppen. Stu- 
dien zur vergleichenden Literaturgeschichte, I, 420 ff. 
(1901). 

Downes, John, Roscius Anglicanus, 1708 (reprinted, London, 
1886). 

Eckhardt, E., E. Koeppel, Studien uber Shakespeare's Wirk- 
ung . . . (review). Archiv fur das Studium der neueren 
Sprachen und Literaturen, CXVI, 406 ff. (1906). (Ar- 
chiv). 

Dyce, The Rev. A. (Editor), Introductions, etc. The Works of 
Beaumont and Fletcher, Eleven vols. London, 1843. (Editor 
with W. Gifford). The Dramatic Works and Poems of 
James Shirley. Introduction, Vol. I, notes, etc., VI, 121 ff. 
Six vols. London, 1833. 

Farmer, R., An Essay on The Learning of Shakespeare. London, 
1821. 

Fleay, F. G., Annals of the Careers of James and Henry Shirley, 
Anglia, VIII, 405 ff (1885). A Biographical Chronicle of 
the English Drama, 1559-1642. Two vols. London, 1891. 
(Biog. Chron.). A Chronicle History of the London Stage, 
1559-1642. London, 1890. (Stage). On the Chronology 



436 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

of the Plays of Fletcher and Massinger. Englische Studien, 
IX, 12 ff. (1885-86). 

Genest, John, Some Account of the English Stage. Ten vols. 
Bath, London, 1832. (Genest, Stage). 

Gifford, William, (see under Dyce). 

Greg, W. W., A List of English Plays Written before 1643 and 
Printed before 1700. Bibliographical Society. London, 
1900. Pastoral Poetry and Pastoral Drama. London, 1906. 
(Past. Poet, and Past. Dram.). 

Halliwell (-Phillipps), J. O., Books of Characters (including Es- 
says and Characters by John Stephens the Younger [1615] ; 
London and the Country Carbonadoed and Quartered by D. 
Lupton [1632]). London, 1857. A Dictionary of Old Eng- 
lish Plays, London, 1860. (Diet. O. E. Plays). Outlines of 
the Life of Shakespeare. London, 1882. 

Howell, James, Familiar Letters. Edited by J. Jacobs. Two 
vols. London, 1892. 

Kerr, Mina, Influence of Ben Jonson on English Comedy, 1598- 
1642. New York, 1912. 

Koeppel, Emil, Ben Jonson's Wirkung auf zeitgenbssische Dra- 
matiker und andere Studien . . . Anglistische Forschungen. 
Heft 20. Heidelburg, 1906. (Ben Jonson's Wirkung). 
Quellen Studien zu den Dramen George Chapman's . . . 
Quellen und Forschungen . . . , LXXXII. (1897). (Quel- 
len Studien). Studien liber Shakespeare's Wirkung auf 
zeitgenossische Dramatiker. Materialien zur Kunde des al- 
tera Englischen Dramas, IX. Louvain, 1905. (Shakes- 
peare's Wirkung). 

Langbaine, Gerard, An Account of the Dramatic Poets. . . . 
[London, 1691]. (Dram. Poet.). 

Lee, Sir Sidney, Lady Mary Wroth. D. N. B., LXIII, 161-62. 
A Life of William Shakespeare. New York, 1909. 

Lehman, Ezra (Editor), Introduction, The Tragedy of Chabot, 
Admiral of France. Philadelphia, 1906. 

Malone, Edmund, etc., The Plays and Poems of William Shakes- 
peare. . . . Twenty-one vols. London, 1821. (Shakespeare 
Variorum) . 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 437 

Marguerite, Queen of Navarre, L'Heptameron. Paris, 1863. 
Heptameron. Edited by E. A. Vizetelly. Five vols. Lon- 
don, 1894. 

Mennis, Sir John, Smith, James, Faeetise (Musarum Delicire, 
etc.). Two vols. London, 187 — . 

Munro, John (Editor), The Shakespeare Allusion Book. Two 
vols. New York, London, 1909. 

Murray, J. F., English Dramatic Companies, 1558-1642. Two 
vols. London, 1910. (Eng. Dram. Cos.). 

Napier, H. E., Florentine History. Vol. V. London, 1857. 

Nason, A. H., James Shirley, Dramatist. New York. 

Neilson, W. A., Ford and Shirley. Cambridge History of Eng- 
lish Literature, VI, 221 ff. New York, Cambridge, 1910. 
(Cam. Hist. Eng. Lit.). 

Newcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of, Life of William, 
Duke of Newcastle. Edited by C. H. Firth. London, New 
York, n. d. 

Nissen, P., James Shirley. Hamburg, 1901. 

Oldham, John, Works. London, 1703. 

Ott, Adele, Die Italienische Novelle im Englischen Drama. 
Zurich, 1904. 

Overbury, Sir Thomas, Miscellaneous Works. Edited by E. F. 
Rimbault. London, 1890. 

Parrott, T. M. (Editor), The Plays and Poems of George Chap- 
man. Vols. I, II. London, New York, n. d. 

Pepys, Samuel, Diary. Edited by H. B. Wheatley. Nine vols. 
London, 1893. 

Plutarch, Lives. . . . Shakespeare's Plutarch. The Shakespeare 
Library. Edited by C. F. Tucker Brooke. Two vols. Lon- 
don, New York, 1909, ibid., translated by Sir Thomas North. 
Tudor Translations. Six vols. London, 1896. 

Potter, Alfred C, "Slick-free" or "stick-free." Mod. Lang. 
Notes, XXVII, 199. (1912.) 

Prolss, Robert, Geschichte des neueren Dramas. Band II, Halfe 
2. Leipzig, 1882. 

Reynolds, John, Triumph of God's Revenge against . . . Murder. 
Edited by Samuel Pordage. London, 1679. 



438 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Riche, Barnabe, Riche, his Farewell to Military Profession. 
Publications of the [Old] Shakespeare Society. Vol. 
XXXIII. London, 1846. 

Ristine, F. H., English Tragicomedy. New York, 1910. 

Schelling, F. E., Elizabethan Drama, 1558-1642. Two vols. 
Boston, New York, 1908. (Eliz. Dram.). Poems of Shir- 
ley Attributed to Carew and Goffe. Mod. Lang. Notes, XI, 
273 ff. (1896). 

Schevill, R., Theobald's Double Falsehood. Modern Philology, 
IX, 269 ff. (1911-12). 

Schipper, J., James Shirley, Sein Leben und Seine Werke. Wien, 
Leipzig, 1911. (James Shirley). 

Segni, Bernardo, Istorie Fiorentine. Pubblicate per cura di G. 
Gargani. Firenze, 1857. 

Sidney, Sir Phillip, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia. Lon- 
don, 1627. 

Stephen, Sir Leslie, and Lee, Sir Sidney (Editors), The Diction- 
ary of National Biography. Sixty-three vols. London, 
1885-1900. (D. N. B.). 

Stiefel, A. L., Die Nachahmung spanischer Komodien in England 
unter den ersten Stuarts. I. Romanische Forschungen, V, 
193 ff. (1890). III. Archiv. CXIX, 309 ff. (1907). 

Swinburne, A. C, James Shirley. The Fortnightly Review, 
CCLXXX, 461 ff. (April 1, 1890). 

Thorndike, A. H., The Influence of Beaumont and Fletcher on 
Shakespeare. Worcester, 1901. (Editor), Introduction. 
The Maid's Tragedy and Philaster. Belles Lettres Series. 
Boston, New York, 1906. Tragedy. The Types of English 
Literature. Boston, New York, 1908. 

Traill, H. D. (Editor), Social England. Vols. Ill, IV. New 
York, London, 1895. 

Varchi, Benedetto, Storia Fiorentina. Vol. V. Milano, 1804. 

Various Authors ("the greatest Wits of the Age," viz., the Duke 
of Buckingham, the Earl of Rochester, etc.), Poems on Af- 
fairs of State. Three vols. London, 1703. 

Ward, Sir A. W., A History of English Dramatic Literature. . . . 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 439 

Three vols. London, 1899. (Hist. Eng. Dram. Lit.). James 

Shirley. D. N. B., LII, 126 ff. 
Wood, Anthony, Athenae Oxonenses. Edited by Phillip Bliss. 

Five vols. London, 1813. 
Von Wurtzbach, Wolfgang, Lope de Vega und seine Komodien. 

Leipzig, 1899. 



B 
DRAMATIC TEXTS 

I. Collections of Plays 

Ancient British Drama, The. Edited by Sir Walter Scott. 
Three vols. London, 1810. (Anc. Brit. Dram.). 

Collection of Old English Plays, A. Edited by A. H. Bullen. 
Four vols. London, 1882-85. (Bullen, Old Plays). 

Materialien zur Kunde des alteren Englischen Dramas. Hrsgn. 
von W. Bang. I-XLI. Louvain, 1902-13. (Materialien). 

Nero and Other Plays. Various Editors. Mermaid Series. Lon- 
don, New York, n. d. (Nero, etc.). 

Old English Drama. Edited by T. White. Four vols. London, 
1830. (0. E. Dram.). 

Old English Plays. Edited by C. W. Dilke. Six vols. London, 
1814-15. (0. E. Plays). 

School of Shakespeare, The. Edited by R. Simpson. Two vols. 
New York, 1878. (Sch. of Shakes.). 

Select Collection of Old Plays, A. Edited by R. Dodsley. 
Twelve vols. London, 1744. (Dodsley 1). ibid. Reedited 
by W. C. Hazlitt. Fifteen vols. London, 1874. (Dodsley 
4). 

Shakespeare, Apocrypha, The. Edited by C. F. Tucker Brooke. 
Oxford, 1908. (Shakes. Apoc). 

Specimens of the Pre-Shakespearian Drama. Edited by J. M. 
Manly. Two vols. Boston, etc., 1897. (Manly, Speci- 
mens). 

II. Dramatic Works and Separate Plays 

Anonymous, The Costly Whore. Bullen, Old Plays, IV. Lon- 
don, 1885. The Distracted Emperor, ibid., Ill, London, 
1884. Every Woman in her Humor, ibid., IV. The Fair 
440 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 441 

Maid of Bristow. Edited by A. H. Quinn. Philadelphia, 
1902. IGrim, the Collier of Croydon. Anc. Brit. Dram., III. 
Lady Alimony, Dodsley, 4, XIV. The Life and Death of 
Captain Thomas Stnkeley. Sch. of Shakes., I. The Life 
and Death of Jack Straw. Dodsley 4, V. The London 
Chanticleers. Dodsley 4, XII. Nero. Edited by H. P. 
Home. Nero, etc. Nobody and Somebody. Sch. of Shakes., 
I. The Partial Law. Edited by B. Dobell. London, 1908. 
Pathomachia. Collectanea Adamantaea, XXII. Edinburgh, 
1887. The Pilgrimage to Parnassus with the Two Parts of 
The Return from Parnassus. Edited by W. D. Macray. Ox- 
ford, 1886. (George Chapman?). Sir Giles Goosecap. 
Bullen, Old Plays, III. The Trial of Chivalry, ibid. The 
Wars of Cyrus. Edited by W. Keller. Shakespeare Jahr- 
buch, XXXVII. Berlin, 1901. Wily Beguiled. Dodsley 4, 
IX. The Wisdom of Doctor Dodypoll. Bullen, Old Plays, 
III. 

Barnes, Barnaby, The Devil's Charter. Edited by R. B. McKer- 
row. Materialien, VI. Louvain, 1904. 

Barry, Lo[rding], Ram Alley. Anc. Brit. Dram., II. 

Beaumont, Francis, and Fletcher, John, Works. Edited by 
George Darley. London, 1839. 

Behn, Aphra. The Plays, Histories, and Novels. Six vols. Lon- 
don, 1871. 

Berkeley, Sir William, The Lost Lady, Dodsley 1, X. 

Brandon, Samuel, The Virtuous Octavia. Edited by R. B. Mc- 
Kerrow. Malone Society. Oxford, 1909. 

Brewer Anthony, Lingua. Anc. Brit. Dram., II. The Lovesick 
King. Edited by A. E. H. Swaen. Materialien, XVIII. 
Louvain, 1907. 

Brome, Richard, Dramatic Works. Three vols. London, 1873. 

Calderon Barca, Pedro de la, Dramas. Translated by D. F. M'- 
Carthy. Two vols. London, 1853. 

Carlell, Lodowick, The Deserving Favorite. Edited by C. H. 
Gray. Lodowick Carlell, etc. Chicago, 1905. The Fool 
Would Be a Favorite. London, 1657. Osmond, the Great 
Turk. London, 1657. 



442 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Cartwright, William, Comedies, Tragicomedies with Other Poems. 
London, 1651. The Ordinary. Anc. Brit. Dram., III. 

Chapman, George, Plays. Edited by R. H. Shepherd. London, 
1874. Comedies. Ed. by T. M. Parrott. London, New York, 
1914. 

Chettle, Henry, Hoffman. Hrsgn. von R. Ackermann. Bam- 
burg, 1894. 

Cokain, Sir Aston, Dramatic Works. Edited by J. Maidment and 
W. H. Logan. Edinburgh, London, 1874. 

Colman, George, the Younger, The Mountaineers. London, 1805. 

Cooke, J., Greene's Tu Quoque. Anc. Brit. Dram., II. 

Cowley, Abraham, Love's Riddle. Works. London, 1687. 

D. T. (Davenport, R., Dekker, T?), The Bloody Banquet. Lon- 
don, 1639. 

Daborne, Robert, Plays. Edited by A. E. H. Swaen. Anglia, 
XX, XXI. (1897-99). 

Daniel, Samuel, Complete Works. Edited by the Rev. A. B. 
Grosart. Four vols. n. p., 1885. 

Davenant, Sir William, Dramatic Works. Edited by J. Maid- 
ment and W. H. Logan. Five vols. Edinburgh, London, 
1872. 

Davenport, Robert, The City Nightcap. Anc. Brit. Dram., III. 

Day, John, Works. Edited by A. H. Bullen. London, 1881. 
Humour out of Breath. Edited by A. Symons. Nero, etc. 
The Maid's Metamorphosis (conjecturally Day's). Bullen, 
Old Plays, I. The Parliament of Bees. Edited by A. Sy- 
mons. Nero, etc. 

Dekker, Thomas, Dramatic Works. London, 1873. Best Plays. 
Edited by E. Rhys. Mermaid Series. London, New York, 
n.d. 

Dibdin, Thomas, The Cabinet. London, 1805. 

Dryden, John, Comedies, Tragedies and Operas. Two vols, in 
one. London, 1701. 

Edwardes, Richard, Damon and Pythias. Anc. Brit. Dram., I. 

Field, Nathaniel, Amends for Ladies. Edited by A. W. Verity. 
Nero, etc. A Woman is a Weathercock, ibid. 

Fisher, Jasper, Fuimus Troes. Dodsley 4, XII. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 443 

Fletcher, John, See under Beaumont, Francis. Sir John Van 
Olden Barnavelt (with Massinger). Bullen, Old Plays, II. 

Fletcher, Phineas, Sicelides. Edited by the Rev. A. B. Grosart. 
Poems, III. n. p., 1869. 

Ford, John. See under Massinger, Phillip. The Queen (con- 
jecturally). Edited by W. Bang. Materialien, XIII. 

Freeman, Sir Ralph. Imperiale. London, 1655. 

Garrick, David, The Gamesters. London, 1778. 

Gascoigne, George, and Kinwelmersh, F., Supposes and Jocasta. 
Edited by J. W. Cunliffe. Belles Lettres Series. Boston, 
London, 1906. 

Glapthorne, Henry, Plays and Poems. Two vols. London, 1874. 
The Lady Mother. Bullen, Old Plays, II. 

Goffe, Thomas, The Courageous Turk. London, 1656. The Rag- 
ing Turk, and Orestes. London, 1656. The Second Maiden's 
Tragedy (conjecturally). Edited by W. W. Greg. Malone 
Society. Oxford, 1909. 

Gould, Robert, The Rival Sisters. London, 1696. 

Greene, Robert, and Peele, George, Dramatic and Poetical Works. 
Edited by the Rev. A. Dyce. London, New York, 1861. 
Selimus. Edited by W. Bang. Malone Society. Oxford, 
1908. 

Guarini, Battista, II Pastor Fido. Trans, by Sir Richard Fan- 
shawe. London, 1676. 

Habington, William, The Queen of Arragon. Dodsley 1, X. 

Haughton, William, Englishmen for My Money. Dodsley 4, X. 

Heywood, Thomas, Dramatic Works. Six vols. London, 1874. 
Best Plays. Edited by A. W. Verity. Mermaid Series. 
London, New York, n. d. The Captives. Bullen, Old Plays, 
IV. The Four Prentices of London. Ane. Brit. Dram., III. 
How a Man May Choose a Good Wife from a Bad (conjec- 
turally). Edited by A. E. H. Swaen. Materialien, XXXV. 
Louvain, 1912. The Royal King and Loyal Subject. 0. E. 
Plays, VI. 

Holman, J. G., Abroad and at Home. London, 1796. 

Hughes, T., etc., The Misfortunes of Arthur. Dodsley 4, 
IV. 



444 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Jonson, Ben, Works. Reedited by F. Cunningham from W. Gif- 
ford's edition. Three vols. London, n. d. 

Johnson, Charles, The Wife's Relief. London, 1712. 

Killigrew, Henry, The Conspiracy. London, 1638. 

Killigrew, Thomas, Comedies and Tragedies. London, 1664. The 
Parson's Wedding". Anc. Brit. Dram., III. 

Kirke, John, The Seven Champions of Christendom. 0. E. 
Dram., in. 

Kyd, Thomas, Works. Edited by F. S. Boas. Oxford, 1901. The 
First Part of Jeronimo (doubtful). Anc. Brit. Dram., I. 
The Spanish Tragedy. Manly, Specimens, II. 

Lee, Sophia, Almeyda, Queen of Granada. London, 1796. 

Lodge, Thomas, The Wounds of Civil War. Edited by J. D. 
Wilson. Malone Society. Oxford, 1910. 

Lyly, John, Dramatic Works. Edited by F. W. Fairholt. Two 
vols. London, 1892. 

Machin, Lewis, The Dumb Knight. Anc. Brit. Dram., II. 

Marlowe, Christopher, Works. Edited by F. Cunningham. Lon- 
don, n. d. Lust's Dominion (doubtful). Dodsley 4, XIV. 

Marmion, Shackerley, Dramatic Works. Edited by J. Maidment 
and W. H. Logan. Edinburgh, London, 1875. The Anti- 
quary. Anc. Brit. Dram., III. 

Marston, John, Works. Edited by J. 0. Halliwell [-Phillipps]. 
Three vols. London, 1856. Histriomastix. Sch. of Shakes., 
II. Jack Drum's Entertainment (doubtful), ibid. 

Mason, John, The Turk. Ed. by J. Q. Adams, Jr. Materialien, 
XXXVII. 

Massinger, Phillip, and Ford, John, Dramatic Works. Edited 
by Hartley Coleridge. London, 1840. Best Plays of Phillip 
Massinger. Edited by A. Symons. Mermaid Series. Two 
vols. London, 1889. 

May, Thomas, Two Tragedies. London, 1654. Antigone. Lon- 
don, 1631. The Heir. Anc. Brit. Dram., I. The Old Couple. 
ibid,, III. 

Mayne, Jasper, The Amorous War. London, 1648. The City 
Match. Anc. Brit. Dram., II. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 445 

Mead, Robert, The Combat of Love and Friendship. London, 

1654. 
Middleton, Thomas, Works. Edited by A. H. Bullen. Eight 

vols. Boston, New York, 1885. 
Milton, John, Comus. Edited by D. Masson. Poetical Works 

(Globe). London, 1909. 
Munday, Anthony (and Chettle, Henry), The Downfall of Rob- 
ert, Earl of Huntington, Dodsley 4, VIII. The Death of 

Robert, Earl of Huntington, ibid. 
Nabbes, Thomas, Covent Garden. London, 1638. Hannibal and 

Scipio. London, 1637. Microeosmus. Anc. Brit. Dram., II. 

Tottenham Court, London, 1638. 
Nash, Thomas, Summer's Last Will and Testament. Dodsley 4, 

VIII. 
Newcastle, William Cavendish, Duke of. See under Shirley, 

James. 
Oulton, W. C. Frightened to Death. London, 1817. 
Peele, George. See under Greene, Robert. 
Plautus, T. Maccius, ComcediaB. Publiee sous la direction de 

M. D. Nisard. Theatre Complet des Latins. Paris, 1851. 
Porter, Henry, The Two Angry Women of Abington (Part I). 

Edited by H. Ellis. Nero, etc. 
Powell, George, Alphonso, King of Naples [London], 1691. 

(MS. titlepage). A Very Good Wife. London, 1693. 
Preston, Thomas, Cambyses. Manly, Specimens, II. 
Quarles, Francis, The Virgin Widow. Edited by the Rev. A. B. 

Grosart. Complete Works, III. n. p., 1881. 
R., T., The Nice Wanton. Manly, Specimens, I. 
Randolph, Thomas, Poetical and Dramatic Works. Edited by W. 

C. Hazlitt. Two vols. London, 1875. The Muse's Looking- 
glass. Anc. Brit. Dram., II. 
Rawlins, Thomas, The Rebellion, ibid., III. 
Richards, Nathaniel, Messallina. Edited by A. R. Skemp. Ma- 

terialien, XXX. Louvain, 1910. 
Rowley, Samuel (and Dekker, Thomas'?), The Noble Soldier. 

Bullen, Old Plays, I. 



446 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Rowley, William, All's Lost by Lust. Edited by E. C. Morris. 
Belles Lettres Series. Boston, London, 1908. A Match at 
Midnight. Anc. Brit. Dram., II. A New Wonder; A 
Woman Never Vexed. Dodsley 4, XII. A Shoemaker a 
Gentleman. Edited by C. W. Stork. Philadelphia, 1910. 

flutter, Joseph, The Shepherd's Holiday. Dodsley 1, VII. 

Shakespeare, William, Complete Dramatic and Poetic Works. 
Edited by W. A. Neilson. Boston, New York, n. d. 

Sharpe, Lewis, The Noble Stranger. London, 1640. 

Sharpham, Edward, The Fleire. Hrsgn. von H. Nibbe. Mate- 
rialien, XXXVI. Louvain, 1912. 

Shirley, James, Dramatic Works and Poems. Edited by W. Gif- 
ford and the Rev. A. Dyce. Six vols. London, 1833. Best 
Plays. Edited by E. Gosse. Mermaid Series. London, 
New York, n. d. Andromana (not Shirley's). Anc. Brit. 
Dram., III. Captain Underwit (or The Country Captain) 
(with the Duke of Newcastle). Bullen, Old Plays, II. ibid. 
The Hague, 1649. The Variety. London, 1649. Dick of 
Devonshire (not Shirley's). Bullen, Old Plays, II. Double 
Falsehood (doubtful). London, 1728. Filli di Sciro, or 
Phillis of Scyros (not Shirley's). London, 1655. The Hu- 
morous Lovers (with the Duke of Newcastle?). London, 
1677. The Traitor. A Tragedy: with Alterations, etc. 
(prompter's book, probably). London, 1692. 

Shirley, Henry, The Martyred Soldier. Bullen, Old Plays, I. 

Smith, Wentworth, The Hector of Germany. Edited by L. W. 
Payne, Jr. Philadelphia, 1906. 

Stevenson, W., Gammer Gurton's Needle. Manly, Specimens, 
III. 

Strode, William, The Floating Island. Edited by B. Dobell. 
Poetical Works. London, 1907. 

Suckling, Sir John, Works. Edited by A. H. Thompson. Lon- 
don, New York, etc., 1910. 

Toilor, Robert, The Hog hath Lost his Pearl. Anc. Brit. Dram., 
III. 

Tatham, John, Dramatic Works. Edited by J. Maidment and 
W. H. Logan. Edinburgh, London, 1879. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 447 

"Tirso de Molina," (Gabriel Tellez), El Castigo del Penseque. 
Biblioteca de Autores Espaiioles, V. Madrid, 1850. 

Tasso, Torquato, Aminta. Trans, by J. Dancer. London, 1660. 

Tompkins, J., Albumazar. Anc. Brit. Dram., II. 

Tourneur, Cyril. See under Webster, John. 

Udall, Nicholas, Roister Doister. Manly's Specimens, II. 

Wadeson, A., Look about You. Dodsley 4, VII. 

Webster, John, Dramatic Works. Edited by W. Hazlitt. Four 
vols. London, 1897. Best Plays of John Webster and Cyril 
Tourneur. Edited by J. A. Symonds. Mermaid Series. 
London, New York, 1893. 

Wilkins, George, The Miseries of Enforced Marriage. Anc. 
Brit. Dram., II. 

Wilmot, R., etc., Tancred and Gismunda. Dodsley 4, VII. 

Wilson, Arthur, The Swisser. Publie . . . par A. Feuillerat. 
Paris, 1904. The Inconstant Lady. Oxford, 1814 (summar- 
ized by Genest, Stage, VIII, 445-46). 

Yarington, Robert, Two Tragedies in One. Bullen, Old Plays, 
IV. 



INDEX 



INDEX 



General 



Action off stage described, 355. 
Adams, J. Q., Jr., 122, 349. 
Allusions; to "keeping the door," 

225-26; to monsters, 291; to 

contemporary events, 294, 402; 

to the "High German," 302. 
Anatomy of Melancholy, 195, 

note, 201, 237, 268, 338, 354. 
Arber, E., 41, note, 305, note, 

406, note. 
Ariosto, Ludovico, 323. 
Aristophanes, 126. 

Barbers, 373. 

Barry, Lo[rding], 92. 

Bandello, Matteo, 338. 

Baskerville, C. R., 118, note, 135. 

Bawds, 373-74. 

Beaumont and Fletcher (see 
Beaumont, Francis, and Flet- 
cher, John). 

Beaumont, Francis (see Fletcher, 
John), 6, 10, 12, 22, 25, 28, 
46, 92, 94, 176, 285, 305. 

Bede, 151. 

Beeston, Christopher, 176, 255, 
279, 400, 407, 408. 

Beeston, William, 400. 

451 



Behn, Aphra, 37, 40, 59. 

Berkeley, Sir William, 12. 

Bibliographical figures, 121-22. 

Biographia Dramatica, 40, 404, 
432, note. 

Boas, F. S., 407, 417. 

Boasting, 133. 

Bonarelli, Guido, 16. 

Books, used; seriously, 84-85; 
comically, 85. 

Boswell, A., 402. 

Boyle, R., 10, note, 404, 405, 415, 
416. 

Bradford, G. } Jr., 432. 

Brathwaite, R., 362. 

Brewer, A., 92, 94. 

Brome, A., 30. 

Brome, R., 7, 11, 12, 19, 30, 35, 
93, 117, note, 202; characteris- 
tics of his plays, 15; influence 
on Shirley, 199 ff., 343 ff., 
381 ff. 

Brother and sister in love r 251, 
311. 

Brown, T. Allston, 33, 35, 39. 

Bullen, A. H., 282, 302, 405, 406, 
419, 420, 421, 426, 427, 428, 
429. 



452 



INDEX 



Bullock, Christopher, 33, 40. 
Burlesques; verses, 83-84; defini- 
tions, 212. 

Calderon de la Barca, P.; possi- 
ble influence on St. Patrick for 
Ireland, 220-21, 

Carew, Thomas, 270, 337. 

Carlell, Lodwick, 11, 12, 49, 93, 
94; characteristics of his 
plays, 14. 

Cartwright, W., 11, 15, 93, 94, 
205, 211. 

Castles in the air, 211. 

Castro, Guillen de, 10. 

Centlivre, Susanna, 36. 

Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles, Les, 
164, note, 239, 287, 357. 

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de 
(see Don Quixote), 10. 

Chambers, E. K., 176, 317, 404. 

Chapman, G., 9, 11, 92, 94; 
share in The Ball, 407 ff.; 
share in Chabot, 417 ff. 

Characters; formal, 82-83, 128- 
29; of personages crossing the 
stage, 180. 

Charles I, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29, 
30, 268, 269>, 322, 357, 398. 

Chastity; defended, 69-71; pre- 
tended defenses of, 71; af- 
firmed, 239. 

Chaucer, Geoffrey, 211, 345, 378. 

Chettle, H., 92. 

Chetwood, W. R., 40, 220. 

Children, 178-79; substitution of, 
240 ; parentage discovered, 240. 

Cinthio, Giraldi, 164. 

City-life ; dramatists' attitude 
toward, 13. 



Clarendon, Edward, Earl of, 23, 

174, note, 283. 
Clever servants, 119-20, 424. 
Clowns, 108-112. 
Cokain, Sir Aston, 93, 94. 
Colby, E., 132, note. 
Collier, J. P., 176, 279, 287, 367. 
Collins, J. Churton, 433. 
Colman, G., the Younger, 38. 
Combats, 309. 
Compliment School, 126 ff. 
Constable, F., 42, 43. 
Conversions, 71-73; temporary, 

73; pretended, 73. 
Cooke, J., 92, 94. 
Cooke, W., 42, 43, 44, 417. 
Cooper, Mrs., 35. 
Cowardice, 123, 134, 245, 329, 

363. 
Cowley, A., 16. 
Crooke, A., 43, 44, 417. 
Crooke, J., 45. 
Cuckoldry, imagined, 86-87. 
Curious Impertinent; used by 

Shirley, 202, 238, 266. 

"D., T.," 92. 

Daborne, R., 92. 

Daniel, S., 92, 127. 

Davenant, Sir William, 11, 12, 
21, 93, 94, 195, 198, 199, 203, 
317; his plays, 14; his Siege 
used by Shirley, 197; satir- 
ized by Shirley, 334-35. 

Davenport, R., 10, 92, 94, 405. 

Day, John, 92, 94, 113. 

Death from poison; in agonies, 
73; peacefully, 73-74; sup- 
posed (see Resurrections and 
Sleeping-draughts) . 



INDEX 



453 



Decameron, 206, 213, 340, 357, 
392. 

Dekker, T., 9, 11, 18, 92, 94, 
354. 

Deloney, T., 141, note, 203, 392. 

Denham, Sir John, 12. 

Dessoff, A., 32, 155-56. 

Dibdin, C., 39, note, 40, 231, 271. 

Dibdin, T., 34. 

Discussion of suitors, 141. 

Disguises; women as men, 94-96; 
men as women, 103-104; as sol- 
diers, 132; as friars, 238-39; 
as royal personages, 244, 260; 
of royal personages, 281; of 
suitors, 281, 325; as phy- 
sicians, 338; as pursuivants, 
386. 

Disraeli, L, 201, 210. 

Dobie, J. F., 229, note. 

Dodsley, R., 40, 291. 

Donne, John, 127. 

Don Quixote, 10, 39, 133, 134, 
135, 231, 234, 286, 315, 398, 
399, 431. 

Downes, John, 29, 31, 32, 36, 
432. 

Drama, 1620-25, 3-11; 1625-42, 
11-16; conventionalized, 49. 

Dramatic authors; of rank, 12; 
of low birth, 12. 

Drinking-scenes, 87-88. 

Drummond, W., 127. 

Dryden, J., 35, 39, 429. 

D'Urfey, Thomas, 38, 40. 

Dutch painters in England, 285. 

Dyce, Rev. A., 29, 41, 47, 48, 152, 
185, 209, 230, note, 256, 269, 
note, 274, 392, 403, 405, 407, 
416, 417, 421, 433. 



Earle, John, 129. 
Eavesdropping, 91-93. 
Ebsworth, J. W., 268, 337. 
Echo-dialogues, 132. 
Eckhardt, E., 109, note, 120, 121, 

note, 300, 302, 346, 353, 354, 

410. 
Edwardes, R., 92. 
Egglesfeild, Francis, 43, 44, 422. 
Enciso, Diego Ximenes de, 155. 
Epilogues; by comic characters, 

136; in prose, 331. 

Falling in love; women, 217; 

with pictures, etc., 262-63. 
Farmer, Richard, 40, 433. 
Farquhar, George, 38. 
Fenton, Geoffrey, 370. 
Field, Nathaniel, 92. 
Firth, C. H., 374, 420, 423, 429, 

430. 
Fisher, J., 92. 
Fleay, F. G., 23, 24, 42, 44, 45, 

47, 151, 173, 174, 175, 205, 
255, 256, 268, 269, 270, 279, 
287, 293, 312, 322, 335, 379, 
391, 392, 400, 401, 403, 405, 
406, 407, 408, 409, 413, 414, 
415, 416, 417. 

Fletcher, John (see Beaumont, 
Francis) ; 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 
18, 19, 22, 23, 25, 28, 39, 46, 

48, 92, 94, 176, 195, 285, 305, 
315, 403, 432; general influ- 
ence, 3, 11, 15; his plays, 4-5; 
influence on Ford and Daven- 
ant, 14; on Shirley, 49-50; on 
The Doubtful Heir, 214 ff.; on 
The Grateful Servant, 261 ff.; 
on The Bird in a Cage, 288 ff.; 



454 



INDEX 



on the Coronation, 307 ff . ; 
share in The Nightwalker, 
414 ff. 

Fletcher, P., 92. 

Foolish suitors, 106-108; with 
foolish servants, 108. 

Foote, Samuel, 39, note, 40. 

Ford, John, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 
49, 50, 93, 94; his plays, 13- 
14; influence on The Grate- 
ful Servant, 261 ff. 

Freeman, Sir R., 93. 

Gardiner, S. R., 23, 174, note. 

Garrick, D., 36. 

Gascoigne, G., 92, 94. 

Gayton, E., 231. 

Genest, J., 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 
37, 38, 39, 405, 417, 431, 433. 

Gildon, C, 40. 

Gifford, W., 41, 47, 48, 127, 132, 
136, 140, 195, 202, 203, 209, 
230, 235, 285, 300, 302, 317, 
318, 319, 325, 334, 335, 337, 
346, 363, 367, 368, 369, 370, 
375, 376, 384, 390, 395, 396, 
397, 401, 407, 410, 417, 433. 

Glapthorne, H., 11, 16, 19, 30, 
92-93, 94, 319, 343, note; his 
plays, 15; influenced by Shir- 
ley, 15; influence on The Con- 
stant Maid, 381 ff. 

Glover, A., and Waller, A. R., 
305, note. 

Goffe, T., 6, 11, 12, 16, 92, 128. 

Gosse, E., 126, 130. 

Gould, R., 32, 40. 

Green, J. R., 23. 

Greene, Robert, 11, 92, 94. 



Greg, W. W., 41, note, 131, note, 

267, 271, 405. 
Grove, John, 42. 
Guarini, Battista, 16. 

Habington, William, 12. 

Halliwell [-Phillipps], J. O., 32, 
34, 152, 214, note, 405, 419, 
432. 

Hamilton, 35. 

Hasberg, L., 38. 

Haughton, William, 92, 94. 

Hazlitt, W. C, 337. 

Heminge, John, and Condell, 
Henry, 367. 

Henslowe, Phillip, 355. 

Heptameron; source for The 
Traitor, 153 ff.; for Love's 
Cruelty, 164 ff.; for The 
Gamester, 357 ff. 

Herbert, Sir Henry, 31, 150, 190, 
279, 286, 322, 357, 407, 408, 
422. 

Heywood, Thomas, 9, 10, 11, 16, 
92, 94, 165, 166, 266, 278, 405, 
406; influence on Love's 
Cruelty, 164 ff.; on the Royal 
Master, 206 ff . ; supposed quar- 
rel with Shirley, 391-92, 400- 
401. 

Hints, 88-89, 244, 250. 

Hitchcock, R., 403. 

Holman, J. G., 37. 

Hosts, 299. 

Howard, Edward, 28, 34. 

Howell, J., 27, 96, 146, note, 162, 
203, 237, 267, 285, 370. 

Hume, Martin, 11. 

Hundred Merry Tales, 362. 



INDEX 



455 



Illness, pretended, 338. 
Ireland, J. N., 34, 37. 

Jaggard, W., 431, 432. 

James I, 20, 21, 22. 

"Jeering," 81-82. 

Johnson, Charles, 36, 38. 

Jones, I., 209. 

Jonson, Ben, 8, 13, 15, 48, 49, 50, 
92, 94, 169, 237, 315, 362, 401, 
413; his plays, 6-7; influence, 
11-12; on The Young Admiral, 
194, 196; on The Witty Fair 
One, 331 fl\; on The Example, 
3o*6 ff.; on The Triumph of 
Peace, 398-99. 

Kerr, Mina, 126, 133, 134. 

Kildare, Earl of, 27, 30, 205. 

Killigrew, H., 12, 15, 94, 200. 

Killigrew, T., 12, 15, 29, 31, 93. 

Kingsley, C./28, 36, 56, 57. 

Kirke, John; influence on St. 
Patrick for Ireland, 220 ff. 

Knowles, J. S., 38. 

Koeppel, E., 49, 127, 130, 133, 
134, 140, 158, 168, 172, 196, 
211, 212, 234, 237, 247, 248, 
251, 257, 274, 282, 300, 318, 
327, 335, 344, 347, 353, 362, 
369, 378, 380, 383, 396, 398, 
399, 407, 411, 413, 414, 420, 
423, 426, 427. 

Kyd, Thomas, 11, 92, 380. 

Lacy, John, 21. 
Lamb, C, 40. 

Langbaine, Gerard, 30, 31, 35, 
38, 39, 40, 164, 177, 218, 231, 



248, 305, 357, 401, 402, 403, 
433. 

Laud, William, 25, 30. 

Leake, William, 42. 

Lee, Sir S., 159, 177, note, 432. 

Lee, Sophia, 33. 

Lehman, E., 407, 417. 

L'Estrange, Sir R., 402. 

Letters; intercepted, 123-24; dic- 
tated, 303. 

Lounsbury, T. R., 432. 

Lovelace, R., 12, 21. 

Love-making; by proxy, 66-67; 
for a rival, 67-68; pretended, 
68; by one man to another, 
68-69; by one woman to an- 
other, 69. 

Lovers' renunciations, 67. 

Lower, Sir W., 12. 

Lupton, D., 362. 

Lyly, John, 92, 94. 

Macauley, Miss E. W., 40. 

Machin, L., 50, 92. 

Macready, William, 37. 

Madness, 124; pretended, 189. 

Malespini, Celio, 357. 

Malone, E., 31, 32, 41, note, 150, 
279, 322, 357, 403, 405, 422, 
433. 

Marlowe, C, 11, 92, 94. 

Marmion, S., 11, 12, 19, 93, 94, 
128, note. 

Marston, John, 11, 92, 94, 295; 
influence on The Bird in a 
Cage, 288 ff. 

Mason, John, 92. 

Masques; in plays; 79-80; con- 
taining Cupid, 80, 305-306, 



456 



INDEX 



312; vehicles for revenges, 
188; criticized, 348; keeping 
the door at, 389. 

Massinger, Phillip, 3, 7, 10, 11, 
12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 29, 40, 
92, 94, 256, 433; his plays, 
5-6; influence on The Royal 
Master, 206 ff.; on St. Patrick 
for Ireland, 222 ff. 

May, T., 6, 11, 12, 20, 92, 94. 

Mayne, Jasper, 11, 12, 15. 

Meade, R„ 12, 49, note. 

Mennis, Sir J. and Smith, J., 
287. 

Middleton, Thomas, 3, 6, 10, 11, 
18, 92, 94; his plays, 7-8; in- 
fluence on The Witty Fair One, 
331 ff. 

Milton, John, 258. 

Mistaken identity, 260, 330-31, 
341; death as a result of, 204- 
205. 

Misunderstood speeches, 88. 

Moliere, J. B., 429. 

Molloy, 34. 

Montague, W., 16, 270, 293. 

Morgan, M'N., 38. 

Motteux, P., 152. 

Munday, Anthony, 92. 

Murray, J. F., 2, note, 23, 342. 

Nabbes, Thomas, 11, 12, 19, 94, 

269, 270. 
Napier, H. E., 153, note, 154, 

note, 155, 162, 163. 
Nash, Thomas, 94. 
Nason, A. H., 24, note, 27, note, 

29, 45, 47, 173, 176, 215, 217, 

279, 305, 331, note, 407, note, 

409, 447. 



Negligent husbands, 262, 264; 

plots to reclaim, 265-66. 
Neilson, W. A., 49, 173, 177, note, 

213, 266, 407, 417. 
Newcastle, Margaret, Duchess 

of, 374, 420, note, 429. 
Newcastle, William, Duke of, 12, 

21, 27, 30, 44-45, 46, 126, note, 

354; as a collaborator with 

Shirley, 419 ff. 
Nissen, P., 27, 45, 49, 151, 175, 

305, note, 422, note. 
North, Sir T., 194. 
Nurses, 382-83. 

Ogilby, John, 26, 28; furnishes 
source for Cupid and Death, 
402. 

Oldham, John, 40. 

Old men; avaricious and tyran- 
nical, 104-105; comic, 105-106. 

Oliphant, E. H., 404, 405, 415, 

416, 432. 

Ormond, Countess of, 30. 

Ott, Adele, 164, 206, 213, 357, 
note, 414, note. 

Oulton, W. C, 35. 

Overbury, Sir T., 129. 

Ovid; furnishes source for The 
Contention of Ajax and Ulys- 
ses, 403. 

Pages, 113-15; ladies following 

lovers as, 146. 
Palace of Pleasure, Painter's, 

165, 166, note, 338. 
Pasquier, Estienne, 417. 
Parrott, T. M., 376, note, 407, 

408, note, 411, note, 413, note, 

417, 418, 419. 



INDEX 



457 



Passionate Shepherd; influence 
of, 168-69. 

Pastoral plays, revival of, 16. 

Pastoral scenes, 130-31; festi- 
vals, 135. 

Peele, George, 11, 92, 94. 

Pepys, S., 31, 46, 248, 423, 430. 

Petitioners, 180. 

Phillips, Edward, 39. 

Pirates, 250. 

Plays; revival of, 1; publication 
of, 2 ; in MS., 2. 

Play within the play, 294-95. 

Plotting of murder, 182. 

Plutarch, 193, 307, note, 338. 

Pocket-picking, 318. 

Poltroons, 112-13. 

Poole, John, 37. 

Porter, Henry, 92. 

Potter, E. H., 195, note. 

Powell, George, 33, 35. 

Preparations for entertainments, 
187-88. 

Prison-scenes, 74-75. 

Profligates, 100-101; their quar- 
rels over money, 233-34. 

Prolss, R., 49, 50, 405. 

Prynne, William, 2, 169, 286, 
287, 289-90, 293, 398, 416. 

Quacks, 139. 
Quarles, F., 93. 
Queen Anne, 21. 
Queen Elizabeth, 159. 
Queen Henrietta Maria, 16, 21, 
29, 30, 293, 398, 414. 

Railers, 289. 

Randolph, Thomas, 12, 16, 93, 
94. 



Rape; defense against, 160; com- 
mitted, 227-28 ; attempted, 
228; pretended, 228. 

Rawlins, T., 15. 

Rejuvenations, 122-23. 

Resurrections, 89-91. 

Revolts, 183, 275. 

Reynolds, John; furnishes a 
source for The Maid's Revenge, 
136 ff. 

Richards, N., 12, 93. 

Riche^ B.; furnishes a source for 
Love Tricks, 117 ff. 

Rising from obscurity, 233. 

Ristine, F. H., 232. 

Rivers, Anthony, 33, 152. 

Robbers, 315-16. 

Rowley, S., 94. 

Rowley, W., 8, 92, 94, 152. 

Rutter, Joseph, 16, 93. 

"S., J.," 46. 

Satire; on "news" and news- 
papers, 121, 362-63, 370; on 
ranting, 127-28; on court-life, 
167-68, 216; on platonic love, 
203; of The Humorous Cour- 
tier, 279. 

Schelling, F. E., 3, note, 10, 23, 
42, 45, 49, 64, note, 126, 130, 
267, 337, 380, 405, 407, 430, 
432. 

Schevill, R., 431. 

Schipper, J., 26, 45, 47, 49, 117, 
152, 173, 205, 208, 242, 250, 
296, 305, 405, 409, 417, 419, 
note. 

Scenes in prostitutes' apart- 
ments, 236. 

Scenes set in darkness, 388. 



458 



INDEX 



Scott, Sir W., 353. 

Searger, Richard, 45. 

Segni, B., 153, 154, 155, 158, 162, 
163. 

Shadwell, T., 430. 

Shakespeare Apocrypha, 92, 94, 
404. 

Shakespeare, William, 6, 15, 40, 
49, 50, 92, 94, 158, 305, 315, 
363, 426, 431, 432; influence, 
7, 12; influence on The Grate- 
ful Servant, 261 ff. ; on The 
Sisters, 314 ff.; on The Wed- 
ding, 322 ff.; on The Triumph 
of Beauty, 401. 

Sharpe, Lewis, 93, 94. 

Sharpham, E., 50, 92. 

Sherburne, Sir E., 30, 39. 

Sherly, Mr., 29. 

Shiel, R. L., 33. 

Shirley, Frances, 28. 

Shirley, Henry, 24, 47; influence 
on St. Patrick for Ireland, 
222 ff. 

Shirley, James, 1, 9, 11, 12, 14, 
15, 16, 21, 23; treatment of 
city-life, 13; relations with 
theatrical companies, 19; bio- 
graphical sketch, 24 ff. ; char- 
acter, 29; patrons and friends, 
30; stage history of his plays, 
31 ff.; posthumous reputation, 
39-41 ; chronology of his works, 
41-46; influences upon, 49-50; 
methods of composition, 50-51 ; 
settings of plays, 52; char- 
acters, 52; their lack of re- 
spect for royalty, 52-53; use 
of single plots, 53; la scene a 



faire, 53; treatment of love, 
53-56; morality, 56-59; little 
use of sensation, 59-60; use of 
revenge, 60-61; the family 
feud, 61; surprises, 61-62; 
contrasts of character, 62-63; 
stock incidents, 65 ff. ; stock 
characters, 94 ff. ; literary 
criticism in his plays, 140, 
209, 282, 295, 319, 348; use 
of sources, 147-49 ; plays im- 
properly ascribed to him, 404. 

Shirley, Mathias, 25. 

Shirley, Sir R., 24. 

Sidney, Sir Phillip, 16, 38, 132, 
345, 428; furnishes a source 
for Shirley's Arcadia, 268 ff. 

Sleeping-draughts, 74. 

Smith, Wentworth, 92. 

Smollett, T. ; 39. 

Soldiers; blunt, 101-102; poor, 
201, 216. 

Spanish influences; on Eliza- 
bethan plays, 10-11; on Shir- 
ley's plays, 190, 206, 231, 279, 
283, 297, 322, 365. 

Spanish Tragedy, The; quota- 
tions from, 383. 

Spenser, Edmund, 40. 

Stage; change in attitude to- 
wards the, 12-13. 

Stanley, Thomas, 28, 30, 39, 175. 

Steevens, G., 169. 

Stephens, John, the Younger, 20, 
115, 129, 174, note. 

Stevenson, W., 94. 

Stiefel, A. L., 10, note, 190, 206, 
279, 297, 322, 365. 

Stipulations; between man and 



INDEX 



459 



wife, 130; for assignments, 
162-63; between lady and 
lover, 353. 

Stirling, William, Earl of, 132. 

Strafford, Thomas, Earl of, 27, 
30. 

Strode, William, 93, 94. 

Suckling, Sir J., 11-12, 15, 202, 
412. 

Supernatural elements, 85-86, 
221; magicians, 223; prophe- 
cies and oracles, 224-25; false 
ghosts, 229 ; visions, 230 ; sink- 
ing into the earth, 230-31. 

Swinburne, A. C, 326, 331, note, 
335, 347, note, 350, note, 407, 
417, 421. 

Tasso, Torquato, 16. 
Tatham, J., 15, 93. 
Taverner, William, 37. 
Tests, 75-77; pretended, 77. 
Thompson, E. N. S., 13, note. 
Theaters of London, 17; their 

patrons, 20-23. 
Theatrical companies, 17-18; re- 
lations with the dramatists, 

18-19. 
Theobald, L., 46, 431, 432, 433. 
Thorndike, A. H., 18, note, 23, 

41, 42, 43, 49, 64, note, 116, 

415. 
Ticknor, G., 294. 
"Tirso de Molina," 10; influence 

on The Opportunity, 297 ff. 
Titles used in the text, 93-94. 
Tompkins, J., 92. 
Tourneur, Cyril, 8, 12, 92, 94, 

158. 



Traill, H. D., 23, 283. 

Trials in court, 77-79; counter- 
feit, 159. 
True nobility; discussed, 211. 



Vanbrugh, Sir John, 36. 

Varchi, B., 154, 155, 162. 

Vega Carpio, Felix Lope de, 10, 
297, note; influence on The 
Young Admiral, 190 ff.; other 
possible influences on Shirley, 
231, 385. 

Venus and Adonis, 219. 

Villains; courtly, 96-98; in 
private life, 98; soliloquies, 
160-161. 

Vincent, A., 270, 337- 

Waller, Edmund, 339. 

Walpole, H., 177, note. 

Ward, Sir A. W., 11, 23, 24, 29, 
38, 47, 49, 53, 152, 173, 182, 
187, 213, 220, 231, 256, 319, 
369, 381, 386, 403, 405, 407, 
409, 411, 417, 418, 421, 432, 
433. 

Ward, H., 34-35. 

Watson, Rev. R., 40. 

Weak and lustful sovereigns, 99- 
100. 

Weber, H., 44, 405. 

Webster, John; 12, 50, 92, 94; 
his plays, 8-9 ; influence on The 
Cardinal, 185 ff.; on The 
Brothers, 257 ff. 

Welsh characters, 120. 

Whitaker, Master, 45. 



460 



INDEX 



Wilkins, G., 92. 

Williams, J., 43, 44, 422. 

Wilson, Arthur, 93. 

Wit-combats, 80-81. 

Wolverton, Frances, 49, note. 

Women; confessions of love by, 
65-66; pretended confessions of 
love by, 66; innately wicked, 
98-99; wicked through circum- 



stances, 99; witty, 102-103; 
slandered, 209-10, 326. 

Wood, Anthony, 27, note, 28, 29, 
30, 46, 420, 421. 

Wroth, Lady Mary; furnishes a 
possible source for The Poli- 
tician, 177, note. 

Wurtzbach, W., von, 231. 

Yarington, Robert, 92. 



B 



Plays and Masques 



Abroad and at Home, 37. 
Acero de Madrid, El, 385. 
Aglaura, 12, 184, 186, 188, 203, 

205, 214, 277. 
Agrippina, 179, 262. 
Albertus Wallenstein, 15, 71, 72, 

177, 178, 180, 208, 211, 319. 
Albovine, 12, 59, 66, 85, 87, 88, 

97, 99, 100, 123, 163, 177, 182, 

201, 204, 216, 239, 243, 331. 
Albumazar, 86, 91, 105, 111, 119, 

123, 135, 211, 245, 316, 318. 
Alchemist, The, 1, 83, 86, 107, 

123, 139, 169, 194, 196, 236, 

283, 291, 294, 318, 349, 368, 

426. 
All Fools, 83, 114, 235, 283, 411, 

note, 412, note. 
All Mistaken, 34. 
All's Lost by Lust, 67, 70, 81, 83, 

103, 112, 160, 180, 204, 217, 

227, 229, 374. 
All's Well that End's Well, 65, 

71, 76, 90, 109, 113, 163, 167, 

197, 233, 237, 259, 264, 265, 

275, 330-31, 334, 347, 361, 363, 

413. 
Almeyda, Queen of Granada, 33. 
Alphonso, King of Naples, 33. 
Alphonsus, Emperor of Germany, 

73, 80, 97, 163, 184, 188, 331. 

461 



Alphonsus, King of Arragon, 90, 

127, 224, 225, 295. 
Amends for Ladies, 69, 70, 72, 81, 

87, 88, 96, 104, 130, 133, 141, 

196, 202, 266, 267, 319, 338, 

361, 370, 371. 
Aminta, 16, 131. 
Amor con Amor se Paga, 293. 
Amorous War, The, 77, 80, 273, 

331. 
Amphitruo, 227. 
Amyntas (Randolph's), 67, 112, 

114, 141, 224, 345, 354. 
Andromana, 46, 98, 100, 177, 271,. 

note, 404, 405. 
Antigone, 224, 227. 
Antipodes, The, 79, 80, 85, 87, 88, 

187, 239, 240, 268, 399, 424, 

427. 
Antiquary, The, 69, 123, 218, 219, 

235, 283, 301, 390. 
Antonio and Mellida, 79, 90, 95, 

103, 104, 107, 113, 114, 180, 

243, 288, 289, 296, 331. 
Antonio's Revenge, 74, 78, 79, 84, 

179, 188, 189, 212. 
Antony and Cleopatra, 84, 86, 88, 

90, 98, 102, 109, 143, 224, 250. 
Anything for a Quiet Life, 69, 

83, 90, 96, 132, 179, 218, 237, 

238, 239, 370, 374. 



462 



INDEX 



Appius and Virginia, 9, 67, 70, 
75, 78, 83, 110, 174, note, 183, 
188, 208, 285, 383. 

Arcadia, The, 16, 26, 43, 50, 51, 
54, 56, 65, 66, 68, 71, 74, 77, 
79, 89, 100, 103, 122, 130, 135, 
146, 149, note, 209, 224, 233, 
235, 237, 268-79, 281, 290, 
297, 315, 325, 330, 400, 422. 

Arcadian Lovers, The, 271, note. 

Arden of Feversham, 98. 

Argalus and Parthenia, 83, 96, 
105, 135, 271, note, 309. 

Aristippus, 294. 

Arraignment of Paris, The, 65, 
78, 132, 401. 

Artful Husband, The, 37. 

As You Like It, 66, 69, 71, 81, 
84, 95, 110, 125, 130, 131, 133, 
134, 135, 167, 219, 254, 264, 
335, 339, 396. 

Atheist's Tragedy, The, 70, 74- 
75, 78, 90, 98, 101, 132, 137, 
note, 163, 171, 243, 366, 371, 
373. 

Ball, The, 9, 30, 43, 75, 77, 79, 
82, 92, 102-103, 106, 108, 112, 
121, 122, note, 133, 140, 167, 
211, 245, 246, 270, note, 281, 
282, 285, 286, 289, 291, note, 
292, note, 293, 294, 312, 327, 
note, 333, 336, note, 339, 345, 
346, 351, 353, note, 360, note, 
362, 364, note, 368, 370, 374, 
376, 377, 378, note, 386, note, 
394, 396, 404, 407-414, 416, 
426, 427, 430. 

Bank Note, The, 37. 

Bartholomew Fair, 65, 88, 107, 



120, 125, 318, 331, 333, 334, 
337, 340, 350, 388, 414. 
Bashful Lover, The, 67, 70, 72, 

85, 96, 112, 146, 228, 229, 238, 
239, 253, 281, 376. 

Battle of Alcazar, The, 127. 
Beauties, The (see Bird in a 

Cage, The), 43, 286, 287, 293, 

296. 
Beggars' Bush, The, 78, 88, 97, 

100, 102, 111, 134, 240, 316, 
318. 

Believe as You List, 66, 70, 72, 
75, 79, 91, 97, 112, 169, 180, 
211, 216, 291, 311. 

Ben Hur, 354. 

Bird in a Cage, The (see Beau- 
ties, The), 33-34, 43, 53, 54, 
61, 74, 75, 81, 84, 86, 89, 93, 
103, 105, 106, 120, 134, 139, 
140, 167, 202, 207, 211, 223, 
237, 243, 270, note, 279, 281, 
282, 286-97, 299, 325, 327, 329, 
335, 346, 348, 352, 370, 383, 
384, 390, 411, 413, note, 429. 

Birth of Merlin, The, 65, 85, 89, 
98, 110, 185, 223, 224, 225. 

Blind Beggar of Alexandria, The, 

86, 113, 168. 

Blind Beggar of Bednal Green, 
The, 70, 90, 104, 107, 111, 114, 
132, 302, 309, 316, 330. 

Bloody Banquet, The, 72, 73, 85, 
97, 110, 163, 179, 236, 277. 

Bloody Brother, The, 2, 61, 72, 
78, 86, 97, 99, 100, 102, 162, 
181, 186, 188, 253-54, 316. 

Blurt, Master-Constable, 76, 79, 

101, 103, 105, 113, 114, 226, 
236, 301, 388. 



INDEX 



463 



Bondman, The, 75, 79, 107, 131, 

219, 233, 254, 308, 325, 356, 

366, 370, 378. 
Bonduca, 73, 102, 113, 179, 224, 

355, 363. 
Brazen Age, The, 73, 104, 110, 

225-26, 229, 309, 355. 
Brennoralt, 75, 177, 219, 389. 
Broken Heart, The, 80, 87, 89, 

125, 188, 250. 
Brothers, The, 19, 26, 32, 40, 

42, 52, 55, 58, 61, 68, 75, 

89, 100, 102, 104, 106, 131, 136, 

140, 142, 143, 144, 173, 174, 
175, 176, 228, 234, 244, 255-61, 
263, 270, note, 302, 326, 339, 
340, 341, 342, 347, 349, 353, 
397, 405, 406. 

Bussy D'Ambois, 2, 84, 100, 172, 

208, 212, 221, 264, 277. 
Byron's Tragedy, 75, 78, 80. 

Cabinet, The, 34. 

Caesar and Pompey, 9, 85, 229. 

Cambyses, 110. 

Campaspe, 67, 76, 114, 139, 289, 

331. 
Captain, The, 65, 72, 81, 82, 88, 

91, 99, 102, 103, 113, 122, 132, 

141, 280, 283, 285, 299, 333, 
334, 341. 

Captain Thomas Stukeley, 67, 76, 
77, 114. 

Captain Underwit ( see Country 
Captain, The), 27, 29, 31, 32, 
45, 56, 57, 65, 71, 82, 83, 84, 
87, 92, 102, 103, 108, 109, 121, 
123, 124, 133, 168, 169, 204, 
243, 283, 284, 303, 312, 315, 
329, 333, 337, 338, 339, 342, 



344, 353, 354, 367, 374, 379, 

394, 396, 399, 401, 404, 412, 

414, 419-29, 429, 430. 
Captives, The, 85, 110, 145, 240, 

340, 355, 374. 
Cardinal, The, 31, 32, 33, 40, 46, 

53, 59, 60-61, 61, 62, 67, 68, 

69, 71, 73, 79, 88, 92, 93, 96, 

98, 99, 100, 105, 124, 136, 159, 

160, 162, 175, 184, 185-89, 208, 

228, 248, 252, 263, 300, 303, 

307, 308, 309, 326, 349, 385, 

428. 
Case is Altered, The, 70, 71, 90, 

103, 181, 188, 240, 251, 300, 

311, 324. 
Castigo del Penseque, El, 297- 

304. 
Catiline, 6, 70, 78, 141, 160, 204, 

211. 
Chabot, 9, 26, 44, 52, 71, 75, 78, 

96, 127, 159, 186, 208, 404, 

407, 408, note, 417-19. 
Challenge for Beauty, A, 66, 76, 

81, 83, 88, 90, 95, 110, 141, 

284. 
Chances, The, 86, 168, 315, 361, 

362, 374. 
Changeling, The, 8, 79, 98, 99, 

105, 120, 124, 180, 182, 204, 

250, 258, 331. 
Changes, The (see Love in a 

Maze), 31, 43, 342. 
Chaste Maid in Cheapside, A, 

72, 74, 88, 90, 108, 120, 296, 

331, 333, 335, 341, 344, 360, 

370, 375, 377. 
Chloridia, 312. 
Christian Turned Turk, A, 69, 

89, 96, 111, 171, 250, 301, 363. 



464 



INDEX 



Christmas, his Masque, 306, 317. 

City Madam, The, 6, 13, 72, 76, 
80, 82, 86, 98, 102, 130, 159, 
236, 237, 294, 334, 344, 374. 

City Match, The, 82, 108, 257, 
285, 290, 291, 354, 390. 

City Nightcap, The, 70, 71, 75, 
76, 79, 80, 85, 87, 88, 91, 110, 
122, 163, 204-205, 205, 208, 
232-33, 238, 239, 261, 266, 353, 
374, 428. 

City Wit, The, 35, 69, 83, 107, 
119, 132, 143, 212, 338, 344, 
349, 354, 359, 386, 412, note. 

Claricilla, 102, 213, 250. 

Cleopatra, 85, 168, 224. 

Colonel, The (see Siege, The 
[Davenant's]), 334. 

Combat of Love and Friendship, 
The, 49, note, 67, 77, 81, 114, 
141, 195, 328, 350, 370. 

Comedy of Errors, The, 78, 86, 
110, 135, 240, 245, 260, 297, 

299, 354, 359. 
Comus, 223. 

Conceited Duke, The (see Hu- 
morous Courtier, The), 279. 

Conspiracy, The, 73, 88, 91, 200, 
294, 295. 

Constant Maid, The (see Love 
Will Find Out a Way), 38, 45, 
52, 59, 61, 66, 67, 75, 77, 79, 89, 
91, 92, 105, 106, 120, 122, 123, 
124, 133, 141, 161, 182, 205, 
209, 210-11, 225, 227, 236, 244, 
270, note, 284, 286, 291, 294, 

300, 312, 318, 324, 325, 330, 
333, 336, 337, 338, 339, 341, 
346, 348, 349, 368, 374, 377, 
378, 379-90, 411, note, 426, 427. 



Contention for Honor and Riches, 
A, 43, 201, 209, 283, 312, 329, 
391-92, 393, 395, 396, 400, 429. 

Contention of Ajax and Ulysses 
for the Armor of Achilles, The, 
46, 92, 112, 113, 124, 209, 224, 
402-403, 426. 

Coriolanus, 78, 82, 102, 178, 188, 
193, 196, 243, 289, 308. 

Coronation, The, 27, 44, 53, 54, 
55, 56, 60, 61, 62, 65, 79, 80, 
88, 89, 93, 96, 145, 159, 182, 
183, 186, 189, 201, 204, 209, 
211, 212, 214, 215, 216, 217, 
218, 219, 244, 249, 251, 263, 
282, 299, 304-13, 348, 389, 392, 
414. 

Costly Whore, The, 66, 72-73, 74, 
75, 77, 80, 91, 177, 182, 210, 
263, 296. 

Country Captain, The (see Cap- 
tain Underwit), 31, 44-45, 176, 
419, 420, 421, 423, 429. 

Courageous Turk, The, 80, 85, 
128, 179, 266. 

Court Beggar, The, 35, 66, 80, 

107, 228, 245, 293, 318, 324, 
338, 374, 382, 399, 424, 427. 

Court Secret, The, 27, 31, 46, 51, 
52, 53, 54, 55, 60, 61, 62, 67, 
74, 75, 77, 88, 89, 92, 93, 96, 
105, 112, 113, 117, 143, 145, 
146, 160, 186, 193, 210, 211, 
240, 247, 248-54, 258, 300, 303, 
307, 309, 311, 313, 326, 343, 
364, 366, 371. 

Covent Garden, 66, 77, 83, 88, 

108, 159, 195, 226, 244, 269, 
291, 350. 

Coxcomb, The, 70, 72, 78, 88, 91, 



INDEX 



465 



101, 124, 131, 238, 266, 267, 

316, 330, 360, 388. 
Cruel Brother, The, 53, 87, 100, 

108, 140, 157, 158, 159, 162, 

163, 164, 205, 227, 239, 285, 

369, 387. 
Cupid and Death, 46, 83, 229, 

312, 349, 401-402, 403. 
Cupid's Revenge, 1, 2, 65, 95-96, 

97, 99, 100, 102, 113, 146, 177, 

179, 180, 181, 183, 184, 230, 

271, note. 
Cupid's Whirligig, 352. 
Cure for a Cuckold, A, 9, 65, 76, 

81, 85, 91, 169, 316, 350, 353, 

354, 355, 356, 371, 383. 
Custom of the Country, The, 65, 

70, 72, 76, 86, 91, 99, 100, 101, 

160, 211, 237, 268, 360, 374. 
Cymbeline, 2, 70, 71, 74, 77, 87, 

90, 95, 98, 107, 119, 142, 146, 

177, 184, 185, 207, 209, 224, 

230, 233, 240, 310. 
Cynthia's Revels, 80, 82, 83, 84, 

95, 107, 122, 126, 132, 180, 182, 

254, 279, 281, 286, 289, 337, 

345, 393. 

Damoiselle, The, 101, 108, 239, 
324, 382, 387. 

Damon and Pythias, 71, 96, 114. 

David and Bethsabe, 87, 180, 229. 

Danish Tragedy, The, 177. 

Death of Robert, Earl of Hunt- 
ington, The, 66, 70, 72, 73, 79, 
97, 111, 179, 227, 295, 316, 373. 

Deserving Favorite, The, 66, 67, 
76, 77, 85, 96, 97, 161, 210, 
213, 228, 240, 266, 311, 327, 
330. 



Devil is an Ass, The, 75, 87, 104, 

111, 126, 221, 238, 283, 347, 

399, 411-12, 424, 428. 
Devil's Charter, The, 73, 85, 97, 

99, 179, 221, 223, 231. 
Devil's Law-case, The, 8, 78, 91, 

105, 242, 257, 258, 259, 260, 

309, 386. 
Dick of Devonshire, 42, 74, 78, 

83, 87, 90, 93, 98, 109, 160-61, 

173, 175, 227, 239, 255, 256, 

355, 404, 405-407. 
Dido, Queen of Carthage, 65, 178, 

229, 383. 
Distracted Emperor, The, 97, 110, 

162, 163, 289. 
Distracted State, The, 71, 73, 

170, 174, note, 182, 186, 205. 
Distressed Lovers, The (see 

Double Falsehood), 431. 
Distresses, The, 71, 96, 145, 162, 

254, 368, 388. 
Doctor Faustus, 79, 109, 201, 

221, 223, 224, 225, 229, 231, 

310. 
Don Lope de Cardona, 190-99. 
Doting Lovers, The, 35. 
Double Falsehood (Distressed 

Lovers, The), 38-39, 46, 92, 95, 

227, 404, 431-33. 
Double Marriage, The, 65, 67, 73, 

75, 85, 97., 99, 100, 102, 111, 

179, 183, 202, 204, 217, 218, 

250, 275, 301, 302, 308, 355, 

367. 
Doubtful Heir, The (see Rosania, 

and Love's Victory), 45, 55, 

61, 62, 65, 66, 67, 69, 74, 77, 

78, 84, 89, 92, 93, 94, 101, 112, 

133, 142, 168, 176, 183, 186, 



466 



INDEX 



210, 213-20, 238, 250, 256, 263, 
264, 266, 284, 300, 301, 307, 
308, 309, 310, 311, 313, 318, 
320, 361, 377, 414. 

Downfall of Robert, Earl of 
Huntington, The, 72, 76, 97, 
98-99, 104, 111, 130, 168, 229, 
240, 295, 316. 

Duchess of Malfi, The, 8, 65, 72, 
73, 80, 83, 85, 100, 105, 124, 
132, 143, 157, 185, 186, 188, 
204, 211, 289. 

Duke, The (see Humorous Cour- 
tier, The), 43, 279. 

Duke of London, The, 38. 

Duke of Milan, The, 70, 72, 73, 
76, 82, 96, 97, 107, 163, 203, 
210, 338. 

Duke's Mistress, The, 44, 52, 54, 
56, 57, 60, 61, 69, 71, 81, 89, 
93, 96, 98, 99-100, 101, 102, 
103, 160, 162, 179, 182, 183, 
199-205, 216, 225, 228, 246, 
247, 264, 270, note, 282, 291, 
299, 310, 311, 315, 317, 335, 
348, 361, 368, 377, 379, 384, 
389, 427, 428. 

Dumb Knight, The, 75, 76, 85, 
87, 89, 95, 97, 104, 111, 161, 
180, 219, 235, 239, 309, 334, 
355, 370, 373. 

Dutch Courtesan, The, 76, 79, 82, 
83, 90, 103, 236, 301, 355, 356, 
373. 

Eastward Ho, 13, 72, 78, 88, 114, 
233, 239, 274, 294, 343, 344, 
345, 349, 378, 385, 397. 

Edward I, 71, 110, 120, 224, 229, 
231, 238, 243. 



Edward II, 74, 88, 179. 

Edward III, 66, 70, 73, 84, 158, 

160, 184, 224. 
Edward IV, Part I, 88, 110, 180, 

275, 321, 384. 
Edward IV, Part II, 67, 71, 84, 

202, 224. 
Elder Brother, The, 2, 82, 103, 

106, 141, 168, 169, 171, 209, 
226, 281, 314, 315, 317, 352, 
360, 361, 374, 375. 

Emperor of the East, The, 76, 87, 

91, 139, 168, 180, 238, 399. 
Endymion, 68, 84, 113, 114, 331, 

367. 
Englishmen for My Money, 66, 

68, 95, 104, 105, 111, 130, 338, 

388. 
English Moor, The, 87, 143, 253, 

324. 
English Traveller, The, 110, 237, 

239, 290, 374. 
Epicoene, 2, 69, 82, 83, 84, 104, 

107, 114, 126, 135, 136, 234, 
282, 327, 329, 340, 367, 371, 
373, 390. 

L'Etourdi, 429. 

Evadne, 33. 

Every Man in His Humor, 77, 
78, 84, 87, 88, 102, 107, 113, 
119, 123, 124, 132, 133, 140, 
168, 211, 235, 245, 247, 289, 
295, 325, 337, 340, 345, 364, 
386, 387, 411, note, 427. 

Every Man Out of His Humor, 
71, 84, 88, 107, 113, 119, 123, 
132, 133, 134, 136, 167, 179, 
245, 279, 281, 284, 291, 344, 
364, 385, 410. 

Every Woman in Her Humor, 65, 



INDEX 



467 



66, 67, 79, 83, 90, 107, 114, 
171, 172, 219, 236, 268, 289. 
Example, The, 26, 31, 37, 40, 44, 
53, 54, 56, 57, 61, 62, 65, 66, 
71, 74, 75, 77, 81, 83, 86, 91, 
92, 93, 101, 102, 106, 112, 114, 
121, 128, 145, 160, 172, 180, 
204, 228, 238, 245, 250, 253, 
281, 283, 294, 304, 326, 329, 
333, 336, 344, 345, 347, 351, 
352, 360, 362, 363, 365-71, 372, 
373, 374, 375, 378, 383, 387, 
396, 412, note, 424. 

Fair Em, 66, 67, 110, 211, 260, 

262, 340. 
Fair Favorite, The, 73, 91, 199, 

202, 204, 205. 
Fair Maid of Bristow, The, 74, 

78, 90, 95, 99, 111, 236, 239, 

264, 286, 338. 
Fair Maid of the Exchange, The, 

65, 67, 81, 82, 89, 111, 123, 

124, 135, 219, 245, 258, 283, 

316, 335, 338, 344, 384. 
Fair Maid of the Inn, The, 

65, 70, 79, 86, 91, 110, 121, 

139, 141, 217, 240, 298-99, 299, 

312, 370, 379. 
Fair Maid of the West, The, Part 

I, 90, 95, 111, 123, 133, 329, 
361, 363. 

Fair Maid of the West, The, Part 

II, 66, 67, 71, 111, 163, 204, 
250, 316, 331, 374. 

Fair Quarrel, A, 70, 76, 105, 108, 
119, 126, 261, 285, 326, 330, 
345, 360, 363, 364, 365, 370, 
371. 

Faithful Friends, The, 41-42, 66, 



69, 75, 79, 83, 86-87, 89, 92, 

95, 96, 100, 108, 109, 133, 140, 

141, 146, 160, 180, 201, 243, 

245, 404. 
Faithful Shepherdess, The, 2, 16, 

91, 131, 135, 213, 228. 
Fall of Mortimer, The, 181. 
False One, The, 73, 80, 85, 97, 

102, 174, note. 
Family of Love, The, 87, 89, 159, 

236, 244, 296, 301, 325, 330, 

374, 390. 
Fancied Queen, The, 34. 
Fancies Chaste and Noble, The, 

14, 70, 80, 87, 114, 168, 212, 
289, 373, 378. 

Fatal Dowry, The, 72, 79, 82, 99, 

102, 114, 170, 171, 172, 217, 

282, 367, 373, 376. 
Fawn, The, 66, 78, 80, 87, 89, 

111, 113, 114, 130, 208, 239, 

244, 250, 281, 288, 335. 
Filli di Sciro (see Phillis of 

Scyros), 16. 
Fine Companion, A, 68, 70, 82, 

101, 105, 120, 123, 130, 133, 

135, 234, 243, 319, 324, 383, 

385, 387. 
Fleire, The, 74, 75, 78, 83, 90, 

95, 107, 128, 143, 330, 349. 
Floating Island, The, 80, 85, 91, 

104, 125, 290, 327, 393. 
Fool's Preferment, The, 38. 
Fool Would Be a Favorite, The, 

15, 66, 67, 68, 86, 91, 104, 108, 
133, 229, 236, 295, 350, 356, 
370, 385. 

For the Honor of Wales, 120, 

note. 
Fortune by Land and Sea, 77, 88, 



468 



INDEX 



110, 182, 250, 259, 279, 299, 

330, 355. 
Four Plays in One (see The Tri- 
umphs of Death, Honor, and 

Love, respectively), 295. 
Four Prentices of London, The, 

13, 65, 95, 109, 141, 196, 233, 

251, 311, 316. 
French Dancing Master, The, 

430, note. 
Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, 

67, 68, 76, 110, 139, 168, 207, 

221, 223, 225, 353. 
Frightened to Death, 35. 
Fuimu3 Troes, 80, 112, 133, 224, 

225, 230, note. 

Gallathea, 69, 95, 103, 133, 139, 
219, 231. 

Game at Chess, A, 70, 85, 86, 
225, 266, 294, 331, 393. 

Gamester, The, 13, 29, 36-37, 44, 
54, 56, 58, 61, 62, 67, 70, 71, 
74, 75, 77, 81, 83, 86, 87, 89, 
92, 93, 101, 102, 104, 106, 108, 
113, 121, 122, 140, 158, 159, 
163, 169, 180, 182, 194, 195, 
196, 212, 237, 239, 240, 245, 
246, 254, 261, 262, 264, 265, 
267, 270, note, 275, 282, 285, 
302, 330, 334, 340, 344, 346, 
352, 357-65, 367, 368, 370, 
371, 375, 376, 378, 379, 397, 
411, note, 412, note, 413, note, 
414. 

Gamester, The (Mrs. Cent- 
livre's), 36. 

Gamester, The (Poole's revi- 
sion), 37. 

Gamesters, The, 36-37. 



Gammer Gurton's Needle, 78, 86, 
203. 

General, The (see below), 26, 45. 

General, The, 31, 404, 405. 

Gentleman of Venice, The, 27, 40, 
45. 54, 58, note, 59, 61, 62, 71, 
86, 87, 93, 100, 106, 109, 163, 
167, 175, 179, 209, 216, 218, 
231-40, 253, 254, 258, 261, 
263, 266, 268, 275, 284, 285, 
286, 314, 315, 316, 318, 320, 
321, 325, 329, 364, 365, 367, 
369, 370, 377, 397. 

Gentleman Usher, The, 72, 79, 84, 
88, 97, 111, 172, 187, 188, 207, 
208, 213, 248, 262, 303. 

George-a-Greene, 68, 70, 86, 103, 
110, 134, 178, 260, 261, 340. 

George Scanderbeg, The True 
History of, 235. 

Goblins, The, 75, 79, 207, 240, 
253, 254, 316, 330, 389. 

Golden Age, The, 79, 88, 104, 109, 
224, 227, 251, 290, 295, 
383. 

Grateful Servant, The, 31, 32, 
42, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 61, 62, 
67, 69, 71, 79, 86, 89, 92, 93, 
94, 100, 135, 157, 160, 162, 
167, 168, 169, 171, 187, 208, 

211, 214, 217, 218, 234, 235, 
238, 239, 244, 253, 261-68, 282, 
285, 309, 315, 318, 325, 326, 
339, 340, 348, 359, 361, 363, 
371, 375, 377, 386, note, 399, 
411, note. 

Great Duke of Florence, The, 79, 
112, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 

212, 213, 317, 376. 
Greene's Tu Quoque, 1, 75, 76, 



INDEX 



469 



85, 107, 236, 294, 338, 345, 

350, 369, 373. 
Grim, the Collier of Croydon, 70, 

87, 90, 117, note, 221, 223, 224, 

229, 230, 231, 330. 
Guardian, The, 72, 87, 91, 106, 

117, note, 144, 172, 260, 283, 

315, 316, 328, 341, 374. 

Half-Pay Officers, The, 34, 35. 

Hamlet, 60, 73, 76, 84, 90, 100, 
105, 106, 107, 110, 124, 159, 
162, 177, 180, 181, 183, 188, 
189, 204, 212, 235, 305, 316, 
327, 329, 336, 426, 427. 

Hannibal and Scipio, 66, 80, 169, 
208. 

Haunted Castle, The, 35. 

Hector of Germany, The, 65, 70, 
80, 104, 111, 114, 119, 202, 239, 
349, 355. 

Heir, The, 70, 91, 96, 107, 123, 
136, 161, 240, 370, 388. 

Henry IV, Part I, 1, 82, 88, 90, 
101, 113, 120, 129, 133, 134, 
145, 159, 179, 184, 198, 212, 
243, 247, 254, 292, 311, 315, 
321, 324, 325, 353, 353-54, 368, 
376, 396, 411, note. 

Henry IV, Part II, 71, 82, 88, 
101, 107, 113, 114, 236, 247, 
261, 311, 324, 325, 331, 360, 
363, 426. 

Henry V, 113, 114, 120, 143, 187, 
261, 265, 363, 376. 

Henry VI, Part I, 66, 74, 172, 
178, 180, 186, 224, 263, 311, 
426. 

Henry VI, Part II, 73, 78, 8'6, 
97, 132, 145, 151, 177, 178, 180, 



181, 184, 186, 224, 235, 252, 

275, 277, 309, 310, 311, 335. 
Henry VI, Part III, 70, 74, 84, 

97, 161, 178, 224, 311. 
Henry VIII, 77, 78, 79, 180, 185, 

186, 187, 188, 211, 224, 230, 

291, 389. 
History of Cardenio, The, 432. 
Histriomastix, 80, 84, 275, 292, 

294, 295, 345'. 
Hoffman, 60, 73, 90, 97, 107, 

111, 124, 177, 181, 209, 244. 
Hog Hath Lost His Pearl, The, 

72, 91, 96, 107, 124, 132, 324, 

331. 
Hollander, The, 69, 72, 77, 87, 88, 

96, 104, 105, 120, 331, 341, 356, 

370, 376. 
Holland's Leaguer, 70, 72, 83, 

108, 159, 195, 236, 251, 266, 

289, 333, 339, 340, 341, 345, 

352, 354, 360, 374. 
Hombre por su Palabra, El, 231. 
Honest Man's Fortune, The, 65, 

72, 76, 82, 87, 91, 102, 104, 

114, 135, 141, 145, 188, 325, 

369, 413. 
Honest Whore, The, Part I, 72, 

83, 90, 95, 124, 128-29, 226, 

236, 428. 
Honest Whore, Part II, 70, 74, 

83, 85, 188, 226, 262, 264, 325, 

373. 
Honoria and Mammon, 26, 28, 46, 

67, 71, 74, 75, 83, 84, 89, 92, 

133, 168, 209, 211, 231, 234, 

235, 259, 281, 286, 315, 327, 

329, 338, 362, 367, 392, 393-98, 

426, 428, 429. 
How a Man May Choose a Good 



470 



INDEX 



Wife From a Bad, 70, 71, 74, 
76, 78, 90, 111, 229, 264, 268, 
284, 330, 360, 373. 

Hue and Cry After Cupid, The, 
306. 

Humorous Courtier, The (see 
Duke, The, and Conceited 
Duke, The), 43, 53-54, 56, 
58, 75, 76, 77, 84, 86, 88, 93, 
100, 102, 106, 108, 112, 140, 
156, 167, 208, 211, 217, 230, 
238, 239, 252, 263, 266, 267, 
273, 279-86, 290, 295, 298, 301, 
303, 310, 319, 320, 325, 327, 
339, 351, 353, 354, 368, 369, 
375, 376, 386, 396, 397, 409, 
410, 412, 427, 428. 

Humorous Day's Mirth, An, 76, 
79, 87, 88, 107, 114, 119, 124, 
132, 188, 226, 229, 234, 242, 
279, 289, 299, 302. 

Humorous Lieutenant, The, 62, 
note, 69, 70, 72, 82, 85, 86, 91, 
100, 102, 103, 146, 188, 194, 
201, 240, 280, 307, note, 340, 
356, 366-67, 369, 374, 389. 

Humorous Lovers, The, 46, 404, 
429-31. 

Humor Out of Breath, 75, 81, 90, 
103, 114, 131, 205, 212, 279, 
289, 311, 356. 

Hyde Park, 31, 35, 43, 54, 55, 56, 
61, 62, 65, 69, 71, 75, 79, 80, 
81, 89, 94, note, 100-101, 102, 
106, 113, 121, 172, 180, 211, 
246, 259, 281, 282, 283, 284, 
286, 292, 333, 335, 338, 349-56, 
360, 367, 368, 370, 372, 373, 
375, 376, 388, 409, 412, 414, 



note, 421, 423, 424, 427, 428, 

429, 430. 
Hymen's Holiday, 2. 
Hymen's Triumph, 68, 69, 91, 96, 

224. 

If This Be Not a Good Play, the 
Devil Is In It, 78, 90, 111, 129, 
132, 221, 224, 225, 231, 238, 
294, 324, 341. 

If You Know Not Me, You Know 
Nobody, Part I, 75, 78, 110, 
223. 

If You Know Not Me, You Know 
Nobody, Part II, 101, 110, 216, 
233, 236, 370, 384, 388. 

Imperiale, 77, 79, 80, 91, 125, 
161, 205, 228, 235, 330. 

Imposture, The, 26, 45, 52, 54, 
57, 59, 60, 61, 71, 87, 89, 92, 
93, 94, 96, 99, 100, 103, 106, 
132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 144, 
145, 160, 176, 179, 182, 183, 
194, 196, 210, 211, 226, 230, 
237, 240-48, 250, 251, 261, 268, 
290, 300, 310, 311, 317, 320, 
321, 360, 361, 363, 386, 420. 

Inconstant Lady, The, 125. 

Insatiate Countess, The, 65, 73, 
78, 79-80, 87, 88, 99, 161, 163, 
182, 205, 239, 289, 301, 317, 
331. 

Invisible Knight, The, 291. 

Iron Age, The, Part I, 78, 82, 88, 
89, 111, 132, 174, note, 217, 
224, 289, 403, 426. 

Iron Age, Part II, 71, 76, 90, 97, 
98, 111, 182, 184, 218, 265, 
289, 376, 426. 



INDEX 



471 



Island Princess, The, 75, 77, 89, 
97, 102, 145, 228, 239, 245, 276. 

Isle of Gulls, The, 65, 69, 89, 103, 
104, 111, 114, 271, note, 290. 

Jack Drum's Entertainment, 65, 

82, 90, 107, 114, 124 2 324, 333, 

337, 352. 
Jack Straw, 110. 
James IV, 66, 69, 70, 71, 90, 95, 

97, 218, 225, 262, 295, 318. 
Jealous Lovers, The, 70-71, 77, 

91, 101, 108, 114, 130, 160, 162, 

225, 236, 240, 251, 311, 319, 

326, 333, 344, 345. 
Jenkin of Wales, 32. 
Jeronymo, The First Part of, 96- 

97, 161, 204, 303. 
Jew of Malta, The, 2, 68, 73, 87- 

88, 88, 90, 98, 169, 236, 237, 

324, 382. 
Jocasta, 224, 309. 
Jovial Crew, The, 117, note, 240, 

295. 
Julius Caesar, 2, 89, 110, 178, 

193, 204, 208, 224, 247, 289, 

355. 
Just Italian, The, 76, 82, 91, 172, 

201, 217, 233, 237, 245, 281, 

301, 315, 353, 372, 373, 374, 

375, 376, 378, 379. 

King and No King, A, 14, 75, 
102, 113, 181, 183, 195, 214, 
217, 218, 220, 240, 243, 245, 
249, 300, 307, 308, 309, 310, 
312, 313, 328, 329, 389. 

King John, 73, 74, 90, 102, 178, 
183, 224, 311, 412, note. 



King Lear, 4, 59, 73, 82, 94, note, 
97, 98, 102, 109, 124, 130, 161, 
181, 189, 305, 309, 355. 

Knight of Malta, The, 70, 72, 74, 

76, 78-79, 87, 91, 97, 99, 102, 
124, 161, 230, 309, 369, 

Knight of the Burning Pestle, 
The, 2, 74, 76, 91, 105, 113, 
128, 136, 268, 291, 295, 302, 
320, 330, 349, 373, 379, 398. 

Ladies' Privilege, The, 66, 68, 75, 

77, 79, 104, 216, 217, 343, note, 
362. 

Lady Alimony, 83, 110, 114, 159, 
180, 203, 295, 335. 

Lady Contemplation, 429. 

Lady Errant, The, 82, 96, 224, 
273, 293, 353. 

Lady Mother, The, 15, 72, 77, 79, 
80, 81, 88, 91, 108, 120, 123, 
205, 208, 209, 210, 234, 319, 
347, 348, 349, 381, 383, 384, 
385, 386, 388, 389, 390. 

Lady of Pleasure, The, 29, 37-38, 
40, 44, 56, 57, 59, 60, 62, 65, 
66, 69, 71, 75, 81, 82, 83, 86, 
92, 101, 102, 106, 123, 163, 167, 
168, 169, 203, 208, 236, 265, 
267, 282, 285, 286, 303, 319, 
336, 339, 341, 344, 351, 353, 
354, 360, 362, 363, 366, 367, 
368, 371, 371-79, 382, 383, 384, 
387, 412, 413, 424, 426, 427. 

Lady's Trial, The, 70, 72, 182, 
219, 283, 319, 362, 428. 

Late Lancashire Witches, The, 
73. 211, 223, 362, 374. 

Laws of Candy, The, 42, 65, 68, 



472 



INDEX 



77-78, 96, 109, 174, note, 248, 

404. 
Law Tricks, 70, 76, 77, 81, 82, 

85, 90, 97, 103, 104, 111, 113, 

114, 117, note, 130, 132, 204, 

235, 283, 319, 362. 
Like to Like, 34. 
Lingua, 73, 114, 127, 268, 

393. 
Little French Lawyer, The, 70, 

71, 72, 81, 82, 103, 160, 161, 

196, 220, 276, 277, 284, 316, 

329, 333, 340, 350, 360, 363, 

364, 383, 388. 
Little Thief, The (see Night- 
walker, The), 32, 414. 
Locrine, 84, 108, 184, 230. 
London Chanticleers, The, 299, 

362-63. 
London Prodigal, The, 72, 76, 

90, 107, 161, 233, 239, 257, 

259, 262, 264, 280, 316, 325, 

328, 344. 
Look About You, 71, 76, 86, 104, 

119, 245. 
Looking-glass for London, A, 71, 

109, 110, 254, 324. 
Look to the Lady, 44, 379, 422, 

423. 
Lost Lady, The, 74, 77, 81, 91, 

101, 105, 229, 253. 
Love and Honor, 91, 201, 245, 

268, 282, 387. 
Love Crowns the End, 66, 91, 

112, 125, 228, 230, 327. 
Love Freed from Ignorance and 

Folly, 306. 
Love in a Maze, 19, 24, 26, 31, 

32, 35, 40, 43, 54, 55, 56, 62, 

65, 66, 67, 67-68, 68, 75, 79, 



81, 84, 86, 88, 92, 103, 104, 
105, 108, 113, 127, 130, 135, 
136, 140, 209, 211, 249, 252, 
256, 259, note, 260, 264-65, 
265, 295, 304, 319, 335, 336, 
337, 341-42, 342, 342-49, 362, 
366, 369, 375, 378, 383, 385, 
386, 388, 389, 402, note, 409, 
411, 424, 427, 430. 

Love Restored, 306. 

Lover's Melancholy, The, 69, 80, 

84, 85, 96, 104, 112, 125, 128, 
217, 219, 261, 262, 264, 289, 
292, 334. 

Lover's Progress, The, 44, 78, 84, 

85, 90, 92, 98, 106, 109, 134, 
143, 145, 204, 224, 225, 262, 
276, 299, 315, 330, 345, 404, 
405, 427, 428. 

Love's Changelings Changed, 271, 
note. 

Love's Cruelty, 31, 32, 43, 53, 54, 
55, 56, 57, 58-59, 61, 62, 66, 
69, 71, 87, 98, 99, 100, 113, 131, 
142, 146, 161, 164-73, 184, 210, 
219, 235, 263, 266, 267, 285, 
286, 290, 305, 308, 310, 356, 
357, 361, 367, 369, 377, 379, 
411. 

Love's Cure, 78, 96, 104, 111, 122, 
129, 145, 195, 308, 309, 316, 
325, 328. 

Lovesick Court, The, 11, 67, 74, 
85, 97, 160, 180, 181, 224, 228, 
238, 240, 249, 250, 251, 252, 
253, 311, 343, 344, 345, 346, 
373. 

Lovesick King, The, 65, 66, 111, 
172, 225, 233. 

Love's Labor's Lost, 79, 81, 84, 



INDEX 



473 



107, 110, 114, 124, 135, 345, 
387. 

Love's Metamorphosis, 135. 

Love's Mistress, 24, 76, 83, 110, 
132, 140, 224, 246, 293, 295, 
312, 400. 

Love's Pilgrimage, 38, 44, 71, 95, 
101, 106, 146, 211, 263, 299, 
315, 338, 340, 403, 404, 405. 

Love's Riddle, 69, 240. 

Love's Sacrifice, 66, 67, 70, 72, 
73, 80, 84, 87, 88, 97, 99, 101, 
142, 169, 171, 188, 219, 289. 

Love's Triumph, 312. 

Love's Victory (see Doubtful 
Heir, The), 45, 214. 

Love's Welcome, 312. 

Love Tricks (see School of Com- 
pliment, The), 26, 31, 32, 33, 
40, 42, 51, 55, 59, 61, 68, 79, 83, 
84, 89, 91, 93, 94, 102, 103, 
104, 106, 112, 113, 116, 117- 
36, 137, 139, 140, 142, 145, 
147, 150, 159, 169, 189, 219, 
245, 246, 248, 260, 261, 273, 
274, 275, 284, 302, 303, 318, 
319, 320, 321, 328, 329, 330, 
331, 333, 334, 337, 339, 340, 
341, 347, 348, 349, 353, 356, 
361, 363, 370, 371, 379, 382, 
385, 389, 390, 396, 403, 410, 
412, note, 413, 424, 428, 429, 
430. 

Love Will Find Out a Way (see 
Constant Maid, The), 380, 382. 

Loyal Subject, The, 2, 69, 70, 72, 
76, 100, 102, 104, 158, 177, 
178, 180, 183, 195-96, 201, 210, 
361. 

Lucky Chance, The, 37, 59. 



Lust's Dominion, 70, 74, 77, 82, 
97, 160, 161, 168, 180, 181, 
182, 183, 185, 224, 227, 228. 

Macbeth, 76, 98, 100, 110, 124, 
171, 178, 187, 221, 223, 224, 
230, 243, 248, 266, 330. 

Mad Couple Well Matched, A, 
69, 81, 87, 101, 232, 234, 235, 
378, 382. 

Mad Lover, The, 67, 82, 86, 91, 
102, 103, 104, 110, 114, 124, 
128, 159, 224, 225, 227, 229, 
244, 254, 260, 266, 321, 341. 

Mad World, My Masters, A, 72, 
87, 88, 104, 105, 111, 208, 219, 
267, 295, 318, 320, 338, 341, 
373, 377. 

Magnetic Lady, The, 83, 240, 284, 
290, 324, 378, 393. 

Maidenhead Well Lost, A, 10, 97, 
110, 161, 206, 207, 208, 209, 
210, 212, 213, 244, 290, 309, 
312, 331. 

Maiden Queen, The, 35. 

Maid in the Mill, The, 65, 70, 80, 
91, 96, 111, 133, 135, 145, 
240, 245, 260, 285, 301, 308. 

Maid of Honor, The, 65, 67, 68, 
72, 75, 85, 107, 114, 122, 161, 
186, 188, 189, 217, 219, 363, 
379. 

Maid's Metamorphosis, The, 90, 
95, 114, 130, 131, 132, 240, 
268. 

Maid's Revenge, The, 30, 33, 40, 
42, 52, 53, 55-56, 60, 61, 62, 
68, 73, 79, 85, 91, 93, 94, 98, 
90, 101, 106, 116, 120, 123, 
124, 136-47, 147, 150, 151, 



474 



INDEX 



152, 184, 186, 218, 223, 242, 
244, 245, 246, 247, 249, 250, 
251, 253, 254, 257, 258, 259, 
260, 277, 282, 289, 291, 292, 
295, 300, 301, 302, 308, 317, 
319, 320, 324, 326, 337, 339, 
345, 348, 349, 362, 364, 371, 
382, 384, 387, 411. 

Maid's Tragedy, The, 4, 5, 53, 72, 
76, 80, 95, 99, 100, 102, 106, 
117, note, 146, 156, 157, 160, 
162, 164, 172, 188, 209, 215, 
217, 253, 262, 329, 389, 413. 

Malcontent, The, 4, 72, 79, 90, 
97, 111, 114, 141, 171, 177, 180, 
182, 188, 281, 284, 288, 289, 
290, 291, 296, 373, 376. 

Martyred Soldier, The, 75, 110, 
221, 222, 225, 226, 230, 231. 

Masquerade, The, 38. 

Massacre at Paris, The, 73. 

Match at Midnight, A, 72, 105, 
107, 112, 119, 120, 260, 324, 
331, 337, 374. 

Match Me in London, 9, 70, 72, 
74, 76, 90, 105, 110, 111, 114, 
168, 212, 289, 303, 338, 367, 
373. 

May-Day, 79, 83, 89, 95, 104, 105, 
107, 113, 119, 123, 126, 130, 
141, 144, 209, 244, 324. 

Mayor of Queenborough, The, 70, 
177, 180, 181, 227, 228, 239, 
266, 295, 318. 

Measure for Measure, 4, 70, 71, 
74, 77, 78, 90, 97, 101, 110, 
158, 161, 162, 163, 242, 244, 
265, 275, 281, 331, 361, 373, 
375. 

Medicis de Florencia, Los, 155. 



Merchant of Venice, The, 78, 95, 
110, 141, 211, 216, 244, 291, 
292, 324, 325, 326, 333, 382, 
389, 390, 409. 

Merry Devil of Edmonton, The, 
223, 242, 243, 244, 244-45, 258, 
299, 384, 388. 

Merry Wives of Windsor, The, 
66, 68, 87, 104, 105, 107, 108, 
113, 114, 120, 135, 143, 238, 
247, 260, 268, 299, 324, 327, 
328, 341, 344, 345, 363. 

Messallina, 73, 77, 80, 85, 230, 
231, 236, 374. 

Michaelmas Term, 76, 78, 90, 
279, 286, 324, 331, 333, 341, 
363, 373, 388, 390. 

Microcosmus, 77, 85, 122, 169, 
209, 226, 379, 393. 

Midas, 114, 224, 331, 373. 

Midsummer Night's Dream, A, 
79, 84, 103-104, 105, 110, 211, 
282, 292, 294, 295, 347, 401, 
402, 411. 

Miseries of Enforced Marriage, 
The, 72, 81, 101, 110, 119, 211, 
264, 316, 353. 

Misfortunes of Arthur, The, 98. 

Monsieur D'Olive, 66, 114, 211, 
281, 329, 344, 367. 

Monsieur Thomas, 65, 67, 69, 81, 
85, 90-91, 103, 104, 107, 122, 
129, 130, 141, 143, 240, 253, 
258, 327, 331, 333, 338, 349, 
373, 375. 

More Dissemblers Besides Wom- 
en, 65, 68, 80, 85, 96, 186, 
243, 303, 318, 355, 356. 

Mother Bombie, 68, 85, 86, 114, 
122, 224, 240, 251, 311. 



INDEX 



475 



Mountaineers, The, 38-39. 

Mucedorus, 110, 131, 168, 233, 
237, 263, 277, 325, 383. 

Much Ado About Nothing, 66, 
74, 78, 81, 82, 89, 90, 97, 103, 
110, 209, 210, 322, 324, 326, 
327, 328, 331, 350, 355, 356, 
384, 387, 388, 390. 

Muse's Looking-glass, The, 83, 
295, 375, 377, 393. 

Nero, 127, 177, 180, 217. 

New Academy, The, 77, 87, 108, 
126, note, 333, 346, 382, 394. 

New Inn, The, 69, 81, 83, 88, 90, 
95, 104, 112, 113, 179, 182, 188, 
195, 209, 240, 299, 354, 356, 
360. 

News from Plymouth, 12, 73, 82, 
83, 136, 201, 267, 340, 362, 
366, 368, 371, 386. 

News from the New World Dis- 
covered in the Moon, 121. 

New Trick to Cheat the Old One, 
A, 267. 

New Way to Pay Old Debts, A, 
6, 101, 105, 114, 125, 237, 302, 
324, 334, 348, 384, 386. 

New Wonder: A Woman Never 
Vexed, A, 65, 75, 76, 108, 110, 
171, 235, 294, 299, 328, 363, 
385. 

Nice Valor, The, 42, 79, 83, 92, 
93, 95, 109, 112, 124, 128, 212, 
227, 312, 404, 405. 

Nice Wanton, The, 363. 

Nightwalker, The (see Little 
Thief, The), 32, 38, 43-44, 68, 
85, 87, 90, 93, 95, 102, 109, 
112, 120, 229, 289, 305, 315, 



318, 329-30, 382, 388, 404, 414- 
17. 

Noble Gentleman, The, 38, 42, 
68, 92, 93, 102, 103, 109, 112, 
264, 266, 321, 372, 373, 374, 
375, 378, 381, 386, 387, 389, 
404, 405, 426. 

Noble Soldier, The, 76, 99, 102, 
112, 140, 143, 179, 186, 189, 
212, 268, 302, 316, 362. 

Noble Stranger, The, 73, 86, 97, 

108, 126, note, 196, 219, 233, 
345, 385, 387. 

Nobody and Somebody, 83, 84, 

109, 113, 171, 179, 180, 181. 
Northern Lass, The, 83, 107, 119, 

130, 159, 338, 347, 349, 356, 
378, 382, 385, 389. 

Northward Ho, 65, 87, 120, 124, 
128, 236, 237, 365, 397, 427. 

Novella, The, 11, 77, 105, 160, 
180, 236, 245, 382. 

No Wit, No Help Like a 
Woman's (see below), 45, 69, 
77, 79, 82, 90, 92, 95, 107, 109, 
120, 136, 187, 218, 219, 238, 
240, 242, 311, 378, 404, 405. 

No Wit to a Woman's, 26. 

Nubes, 126. 

Obstinate Lady, The, 80, 91, 96, 

101, 146, 169, 240, 283, 350, 

363. 
Ocasion Perdida, La, 297, note. 
Old Couple, The, 72, 91, 107, 123, 

324, 384. 
Old Fortunatus, 111, 132, 139, 

283, 325. 
Old Law, The, 72, 76, 78, 90, 107, 

111, 123, 161, 167, 319. 



476 



INDEX 



Old Wives' Tale, The, 76, 86, 110, 
113, 124, 132, 223, 295. 

Opportunity, The, 31, 32, 34, 44, 
50, 54, 55, 56, 60, 62, 89, 92, 
93, 100, 106, 109, 114, 121, 
135, 140, 143, 147, note, 186, 
188, 208, 217, 218, 225, 244, 
245, 250, 251, 254, 258, 260, 
262, 281, 282, 284, 294, 297- 
304, 305, 321, 341, 347, 363, 
376, 383, 387, 426. 

Ordinary, The, 67, 82, 108, 130, 
209, 211, 239, 254, 346, 362, 
373. 

Orestes, 125, 128, 162, 179, 205, 
338, 383, 426. 

Orlando Furioso, 103, 114, 124, 
127, 131. 

Osmond, the Great Turk, 71, 76, 
80, 126, 226, 228. 

Othello, 65, 78, 87, 88, 90, 97, 
107, 109, 124, 142, 161, 181, 
182, 210, 212, 226, 244, 369. 

Parliament of Bees, The, 83, 140,* 

216. 
Parliament of Love, The, 70, 72, 

79, 82, 91, 163, 211, 226, 253, 

265, 275, 291, 292, 330, 331, 

333, 338, 340, 352, 353, 361, 

374. 
Parson's Wedding, The, 59, 67, 

83, 428. 
Partial Law, The, 65, 68, 91, 96, 

97, 180, 210, 309, 326, 379. 
Pastor Fido, II, 16, 131, 132. 
Pastoral de Florimene, La, 293. 
Pathomachia, 208, 393. 
Patient Grisel, 111. 
Pericles, 70, 71, 90, 98, 100, 172, 



180, 225, 226, 233, 240, 250, 

274, 291, 330, 373. 
Perkin Warbeck, 14, 80, 215, 217, 

240, 276, 311, 380, 386. 
Philaster, 2, 4, 5, 65, 75, 78, 82, 

95, 99, 102, 103, 113, 146, 180, 

183, 184, 210, 214, 217, 218, 

219, 235, 261, 262, 263, 264, 

265, 301. 
Phillis of Scyros (see Filli di 

Scyro), 42-43, 68, 90, 92, 240, 

251, 311, 345, 346, 404, 405. 
Philoclea, 38, 271, note. 
Philotas, 78. 
Phoenix, The, 78, 87, 97, 105, 124, 

182, 207, 213, 264, 279, 281, 

286, 383, 385. 
Phoenix in Her Flames, The, 262. 
Picture, The, 66, 72, 77, 80, 85, 

101, 112, 168, 210, 221, 235, 

236, 267, 283, 284, 340, 356, 

368, 376, 379, 387. 
Pilgrim, The, 72, 96, 103, 106, 

124, 131, 143, 146, 281, 316. 
Pilgrimage to Parnassus, The, 

85, 110. 
Platonic Lovers, The, 87, 172, 

188, 203, 210, 211, 284. 
Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue, 

140. 
Poetaster, The, 84, 113, 114, 123, 

127, 140, 188, 284, 295, 301, 

344, 370, 428. 
Politic Father, The (see below), 

151, 173, 174, 175, 176, 255, 

256, 367, 406. 
Politician, The, 19, note, 27, 40, 

45, 52, 53, 56, 57, 60, 61, 62, 

69, 73, 83, 87, 89, 92, 93, 96, 

98, 100, 101, 106, 112, 151, 158, 



INDEX 



477 



173-85, 186, 189, 193, 194, 196, 

200, 203, 220, 233, 237, 243, 

246, 247, 252, 255, 256, 257, 

276, 281, 300, 307, 310, 311, 

313, 315, 316, 342, 351, 361, 

362, 367, 383, 406. 
Poor Man's Comfort, The, 70, 79, 

97, 104, 111, 125, 160, 228, 254, 

264, 309, 373. 
Prince D'Amour, The, 402. 
Prince of Prigg's Revels, The, 46. 
Prince in Conceit, A, 34. 
Princess, The, 88, 91, 102, 240, 

250, 374. 
Prisoners, The, 91, 96, 101, 184, 

240, 250, 355. 
Prophetess, The, 72, 80, 97, 102, 

111, 135, 180, 217, 221, 224, 

225. 
Purgatorio de San Patricio, El, 

220, 220-21, 221. 
Puritan, The, 74, 75, 86, 90, 107, 

130, 229, 291, 292, 378. 

Queen, The, 73, 77, 82, 85, 87, 

88, 112, 139, 217, 218, 239, 281, 

290, 309, 361, 370, 374, 388, 

399. 
Queen and Concubine, The, 75, 

79, 112, 179, 180, 183, 199, 

202, 203, 223, 230. 
Queen of Arragon, The, 67, 71, 

81, 211, 353. 
Queen of Corinth, The, 72, 78, 

97, 108, 114, 139, 227, 228, 

299, 308, 331, 338, 359, 363, 

411. 
Queen's Arcadia, The, 65, 66, 98, 

209, 338. 
Queen's Exchange, The, 75, 79, 



112, 132, 223, 240, 245, 262, 
304, 316, 388. 

Paging Turk, The, 85, 97, H2, 

128, 171, 230. 
Ram Alley, 79, 83, 95, 123, 130, 

180, 211, 291, 352. 

Rape of Lucrece, The, 109, 189, 

204, 224, 227. 
Rebellion, The, 97, 186, 232, 233, 

236, 237, 240, 383. 
Renegado, The, 65, 72, 75, 79, 82, 

85, 112, 168, 247, 250, 413. 
Return from Parnassus, The, 

Part I, 113, 114, 219, 268, 281, 

384. 
Return from Parnassus, The, 

Part II, 85, 113, 114, 127, 132. 
Revenge for Honor, 91, 99, 171, 

181, 228. 

Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois, 95, 
99, 226, 277. 

Revenger's Tragedy, The, 59, 65, 
70, 72, 73, 75, 76, 78, 80, 88, 
99, 100, 111, 158, 159, 160, 163, 
177, 186, 188, 189, 204, 289. 

Richard II, 71, 74, 78, 184, 235, 
309. 

Richard III, 2, 74, 82, 84, 97, 100, 
159, 161, 178, 205, 212, 224, 
311, 312, 316. 

Ring, The (see Two Merry Milk- 
maids, The), 291. 

Rival Sisters, The, 32. 

Rival Widows, The, 35-36. 

Roaring Girl, The, 68, 76, 96, 
111, 132, 239, 259, 302, 370, 
386, 390. 

Roister Doister, 107, 119, 340, 
346, 383. 



478 



INDEX 



Roman Actor, The, 65-66, 79, 
186, 188, 224, 234, 243, 295. 

Romeo and Juliet, 14, 73, 74, 88, 
90, 102, 105, 106, 110, 127, 144, 
181, 188, 235, 251, 254, 301, 
308, 309, 325, 383. 

Rosania (see Doubtful Heir, 
The), 45, 214. 

Royal King and Loyal Subject, 
The, 76, 78, 111, 120, 145, 180, 
201, 210, 236, 279, 374. 

Royal Master, The, 27, 45, 53, 
54, 55, 62, 66, 69-70, 84, 87, 
92, 93, 96, 99, 109, 142, 167, 
172, 205-13, 219, 230, 235, 242, 
243, 244, 247, 248, 250, 251, 
252, 263, 265, 274, 286, 292, 
295, 307, 308, 310, 311, 312, 
313, 316, 317, 326, 334, 348, 
356, 364, 369, 376, 389, 395, 
396, 411, 413, 422. 

Royal Slave, The, 75, 80, 82, 85, 

88, 117, note. 
Rudens, 355. 

Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, 
70, 72, 86, 88, 103, 107, 130, 
160, 338, 340, 341, 350. 

Sad One, The, 75, 239, 312. 

Sad Shepherd, The, 90, 290, 316, 

336, 390. 
St. Albans, 42, 136, 150-52, 221. 
St. Patrick for Ireland, 45, 54, 

60, 61, 62, 69, 73, 84, 85, 86, 

89, 92, 109, 151, 152, 160, 189, 
204, 210, 220-31, 242, 247, 258, 
273, 292, 341, 369, 383, 386, 
398, 402, 403. 

Sapho and Phao, 89, 114, 224, 
331. 



Satiromastix, 66, 74, 76, 79, 90, 
114, 120, 136, 162, 235, 325. 

School of Compliments, The (see 
Love Tricks), 31, 32, 117, note. 

Scornful Lady, The, 2, 81, 82, 83, 
88, 91, 101, 103, 104, 130, 250, 
266, 319, 324, 333, 349, 352, 
353, 356, 361, 374, 379, 384, 
409. 

Sea Voyage, The, 65, 68, 102, 218, 
250, 355. 

Second Maiden's Tragedy, The, 
70, 71, 72, 76, 77, 85, 100, 158, 

160, 162, 163, 167, 168, 170, 
204, 266. 

Secret Love (see Maiden Queen, 
The). 

Sejanus, 6, 78, 161, 178, 179, 180, 
181, 184, 208, 213, 259, 289. 

Selimus, 110, 114, 178. 

Seven Champions of Christen- 
dom, The, 84, 112, 202, 220, 
223, 224, 225, 226, 228, 229, 
231. 

Shepherds' Holiday, The, 66, 74, 
91, 105, 211, 224, 228, 233, 238, 
240, 251, 253. 

Shepherds' Paradise, The, 16, 
270, 293. 

Shoemaker a Gentleman, A, 65, 
84, 89, 111, 152, 184, 221, 223, 
233, 236, 238, 370, 383. 

Shoemaker's Holiday, The, 13, 

161, 233, 235, 325, 350, 354, 
356, 384. 

Sicelides, 91, 104, 111, 114, 123, 

208, 224. 
Siege, The ( Cartwright's ) , 74, 

80, 83, 104, 169, 205, 211, 262, 

319, 368, 370, 388. 



INDEX 



479 



Siege, The ( Davenant's ) , (see 
Colonel, The), 67, 195, 196, 
197, 198, 201, 203, 220, 243, 
262, 266, 334, 335, 361. 

Silver Age, The, 65, 110, 127, 
135, 227, 355, 383. 

Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes, 
65, 74, 95, 110, 125, 131, 223, 
245, 309. 

Sir Giles Goosecap, 77, 83, 107, 
114, 122, 236, 291, 303, 337, 
338, 356, 384, 413, note. 

Sir John Oldcastle, 78, 120, 261, 
275-76, 316. 

Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt, 
9, 75, 79, 179, 216. 

Sir Martin Mar-all, 429. 

Sir Thomas More, 74, 109, 275, 
295, 318. 

Sir Thomas Wyat, 78, 259, 276, 
285. 

Sisters, The, 26, 34, 46, 52, 55, 
61, 62, 66, 67, 69, 81, 83, 86, 89, 
92, 94, 101, 106, 109, 112, 122, 
132, 135, 136, 140, 143, 146, 
169, 172, 180, 193, 212, 219, 
237, 240, 243, 244, 245, 246, 
251, 254, 265, 277, 281, 303, 
310, 313-21, 335, 336, 337, 346, 
379, 383, 398, 399. 

Soliman and Perseda, 67, 78, 95, 
110, 113, 355. 

Sophronisba, 79, 132, 160, 163, 
223, 267, 277, 309, 331, 
377. 

Spanish Curate, The, 65, 72, 76, 
79, 82, 87, 99, 182, 233, 234, 
239, 250, 258, 275, 334, 387. 

Spanish Fig, The, 143. 

Spanish Gipsy, The, 66, 72, 84, 



86, 90, 108, 167, 227, 295, 308, 

309. 
Spanish Tragedy, The, 78, 79, 84, 

96, 99, 124, 180, 182, 227, 249, 

250, 294, 295, 300, 318, 327, 

348, 377, 378, 379, 380, 383, 

390. 
Sparagus Garden, The, 83, 87, 

108, 126, note, 204, 350, 353, 

382, 385. 
Stage Coach, The, 38. 
Staple of News, The, 71, 82, 90, 

105, 121, 125, 126, 136, 159, 

257, 289, 294, 319, 324, 362, 
373, 376, 393, 394. 

Summer's Last Will and Testa- 
ment, 110. 

Sun's Darling, The, 79, 393. 

Supposes, The, 86, 105, 119, 139, 
143, 187-88, 233, 240, 245, 324, 
326, 373, 383. 

Swisser, The, 66, 70, 72, 74, 85, 
91, 96, 113, 125, 184, 228, 289, 
302. 

Tale of a Tub, A, 108, 181, 386, 

388, 413. 
Tamburlane, Part I, 127, 218, 

376. 
Tamburlane, Part II, 74, 127. 
Taming of the Shrew, The, 2, 68, 

76, 104, 114, 119, 135, 141, 245, 

258, 260, 281, 295, 326, 350, 
373, 389. 

Tancred and Gismunda, 99, 277. 

Tempest, The, 79, 88, 90, 110, 
131, 207, 221, 223, 224, 225, 
228, 229, 230, 291, 339, 411, 
note. 

Temple of Love, The, 312. 



480 



INDEX 



Thierry and Theodoret, 59, 61, 
73, 76, 86, 90, 99, 102, 113, 
201, 240, 247, 267, 316, 329, 
360, 361, 363, 364, 388. 

Thomas, Lord Cromwell, 74, 110. 

Thracian Wonder, The, 72, 110, 
124, 125, 131, 132, 133-34, 134, 
135, 197, 224, 309. 

Time Vindicated, 306. 

Timon of Athens, 76, 78, 79, 80, 
82, 109, 114, 124, 167, 180, 
230, 240, 289, 315, 364, 373, 
374, 383. 

'Tis Pity She's a Whore, 14, 59, 
73, 80, 85, 91, 105, 108, 141, 
171, 173, 182, 188, 251, 281, 
283, 301, 316, 338, 346. 

Titus Andronicus, 84, 97, 98, 
100, 109, 124, 177, 178, 183, 
189, 197, 227, 243, 383. 

Titus and Vespasian, 355. 

Tottenham Court, 66, 77, 112, 
233, 240, 251, 350. 

Traitor, The, 26, 27, 31, 32, 33, 
40, 43, 52, 53, 54, 56, 59, 60, 
61, 62, 66, 67, 69, 71, 75, 77, 

78, 79, 92, 93, 96, 99, 100, 106, 
112, 127, 152-64, 168, 170, 182, 
186, 188, 189, 193, 204, 235, 
247, 251, 252, 263, 265, 267, 
281, 311, 312, 329, 339, 357, 

.359, 361, 369, 377, 389, 418, 
419, 420, 423. 
Trapolin Supposed a Prince, 75, 

79, 80, 112, 159, 221, 223, 245. 
Travails of the Three English 

Brothers, The, 75, 76, 111, 295. 
Trial of Chivalry, The, 65, 66, 
90, 97, 110, 111, 172, 225, 227, 
327. 



Trick for Trick, 38. 

Trick to Catch the Old One, 
A, 72, 82, 105, 211, 324, 
341. 

Triumphant Widow, The, 429, 
430. 

Triumph of Beauty, The, 45, 168, 
312, 392, 399, 400-401, 429. 

Triumph of Death, The (see 
Four Plays in One), 91, 98, 
99, 162, 186, 221, 230, 264. 

Triumph of Honor, The (see 
Four Plays in One), 70, 72, 
113, 160, 227, 238, 338. 

Triumph of Love, The (see Four 
Plays in One), 74, 91, 240, 
326. 

Triumph of Peace, The, 26, 29, 
44, 234, 267, 284, 315, 373, 389, 
398-99, 401, 412, 424, 427. 

Troilus and Cressida, 82, 110, 
124, 180, 224, 254, 289, 308, 
309, 346, 378, 426. 

Turk, The, 66-67, 74, 83, 91, 97, 
99, 114, 122, 127, 132, 161, 
169, 174, note, 180, 204, 208, 
242, 258, 349, 386, 389. 

Twelfth Night, 1, 4, 68, 69, 74, 
83, 88, 89, 90, 95, 107, 110, 
129, 135, 172, 211, 250, 253, 
261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 281, 
283, 314, 318, 320, 322, 324, 
327, 328, 362. 

Twins, The, 233. 

Two Angry Women of Abington, 
The, 68-69, 87, 88, 111, 114, 
122, 130, 209, 301, 329, 331, 
334, 388. 

Two Gentlemen of Verona, The, 
67, 68, 71, 88, 95, 105, 107, 



INDEX 



481 



110, 124, 141, 142, 146, 195, 
228, 299, 308, 311, 315. 

Two Merry Milkmaids, The (see 
Ring, The), 268, 291-92. 

Two Noble Kinsmen, The, 75, 80, 

124, 135, 161, 225, 235, 309, 
345. 

Two Tragedies in One, 98, 161, 

179. 
Two Wise Men and All the Rest 

Fools, 393. 

Unfortunate Lovers, The, 97, 

201, 216, 227-28 
Unnatural Combat, The, 59, 79, 

97, 102, 114, 122, 197, 201, 

227, 374. 

Valentinian, 70, 73, 77, 80, 100, 
102, 161, 167-68, 179, 212, 227, 
363, 366, 374. 

Variety, The, 27, 45, 78, 82, 83, 
84, 87, 126, note, 143, 144, 195, 
240, 244, 284, 302, 342, 349, 
362, 388, 394, 404, 411, 419, 
426, 429-31. 

Very Good Wife, A, 35 

Very Woman, A, 72, 75, 85, 88, 

125, 128, 139, 233, 239, 250, 
276, 296, 297, 325, 330, 371. 

Virgin-Martyr, The, 85, 151, 162, 
217, 221, 222, 225, 226, 227, 

228, 229, 230, 231, 238, 338, 
349. 

Virgin Widow, The, 143, 168, 
224, 231, 240, 294, 402. 

Virtuous Octavia, The, 76, 179. 

Vision of Delight, The, 398, 399. 

Volpone, 1, 70, 78, 86, 87, 90, 
105, 119, 139, 161, 168, 234, 



235, 237, 238, 279, 286, 291, 
294, 324, 366, 367, 371, 411, 
note. 

Warning for Fair Women, A, 

71-72, 78, 179, 373. 
Wars of Cyrus, The, 68, 70, 71, 

95, 103, 221, 223, 227, 228, 334. 
Weakest Goeth to the Wall, The, 

70, 78, 90, 111, 233, 238, 240, 
277. 

Wedding, The, 31, 32, 34, 42, 54, 
61, 70, 77, 78, 83, 89, 92, 93, 
94, 102, 106, 108, 124, 133, 
139, 140, 145, 159, 187, 205, 
209, 239, 253, 260, 277, 281, 
283, 295, 296, 302, 322-31, 334, 
335, 341, 359, 364, 365, 367, 
371, 379, 382, 383, 390, 396, 
397, 411, note, 427. 

Weeding of the Covent Garden, 
The, 101, 107, 236, 239, 350, 
382. 

Westward Ho, 70, 72, 76, 87, 90, 
104, 160, 181, 226, 236, 373. 

What You Will, 69, 83, 90, 104, 
107, 114, 141, 245, 350, 352, 
355, 356. 

Whip, The, 354. 

White Devil, The, 8, 59, 65, 73, 
76, 78, 83, 88, 99, 124, 139, 
143, 179, 180, 239, 244, 247, 
369, 399, 428. 

Whore of Babylon, The, 79, 111, 
162, 393. 

Widow, The, 69, 72, 76, 77, 89, 

96, 104, 219, 242, 294, 316, 
318, 337. 

Widow's Tears, The, 76, 79, 90, 
111, 188, 280, 289. 



482 



INDEX 



Widow's Wish, The, 35. 

Wife for a Month, A, 2, 53, 67* 
70, 72, 73, 80, 91, 100, 111, 
124, 143, 158, 161, 168, 170, 
180, 199, 202, 204, 217, 350, 
362, 367, 374, 389. 

Wife's Relief, The, 36. 

Wild Goose Chase, The, 4, 81, 
101, 103, 111, 114, 141, 333, 
338, 345, 347, 353, 356, 413. 

Wily Beguiled, 105, 107, 111, 
123, 230, 339, 340, 346, 383. 

Winter's Tale, The, 1, 2, 71, 74, 
78, 79, 87, 90, 109, 110, 134, 
135, 178, 183, 207, 224, 233, 
235, 240, 291, 294, 310, 317, 
318. 

Wisdom of Doctor Dodypoll, The, 
90, 111, 124, 221. 

Wise Woman of Hogsdon, The, 
69, 70, 71, 86, 95, 143, 162, 
325, 335, 363. 

Wit at Several Weapons, 68, 82, 
95, 105, 108, 117, note, 132, 
260, 301, 303, 316, 341, 346, 
368, 381, 386, 387, 389, 390. 

Witch, The, 8, 72, 87, 90, 139, 
142, 162, 163, 182, 204, 219, 
223, 236, 284, 331, 350, 
355. 

Witch of Edmonton, The, 70, 72, 
95, 124, 135, 161, 223, 243. 

Wit in a Constable, 82, 88, 104, 
108, 122, 130, 169, 236, 291, 
341, 345, 353, 354, 360, 362, 
370, 388. 

Wits, The, 12, 201. 

Witty Fair One, The, 32, 35, 42, 
54, 62, 68, 71, 81, 83, 84, 89, 
92, 100, 102, 104, 108, 120, 



123, 124, 134, 135, 140, 163, 
209, 229, 244, 258, 259, 260, 
265, 267, 286, 302, 304, 313, 
319, 328, 329, 331-42, 344, 345, 
346, 347, 348, 349, 352, 354, 
361, 365, 367, 368, 370, 375, 
376, 377, 379, 384, 385, 387, 
388, 397, 412, note, 424, 426, 
427, 428. 

Wit Without Money, 2, 81, 82, 
83, 89, 101, 103, 111, 119, 121, 
122, 172, 212, 217, 244, 250, 
301, 305, 342, 362, 374, 414, 
415, 427. 

Woman Hater, The, 76, 78, 82, 

83, 86, 103, 114, 122, 139, 167, 
209-10, 228, 280, 282, 283, 284, 
285, 286, 324, 325, 367, 376, 
428. 

Woman in the Moon, The, 76, 

103, 124. 
Woman is a Weathercock, A, 80, 

84, 90, 107, 125, 132, 161, 167, 
284, 326, 349, 376. 

Woman Killed With Kindness, 
A, 71, 75, 158, 160, 164-65, 
165, note, 166, 168, 169, 170, 
171, 172, 188, 334, 371. 

Woman's Prize, The, 2, 81, 82, 
83, 90, 103, 107, 122, 130, 239, 
333, 338, 340, 375, 384. 

Women Beware Women, 59, 68, 
72, 73-74, 80, 97, 99, 100, 105, 
108, 158, 161, 188, 304, 346, 
360, 368. 

Women Pleased, 76, 79, 80, 86, 
105, 111, 124, 135, 139, 208, 
236, 237, 238, 243, 244, 265, 
288, 290, 291, 292, 295, 296, 
297, 324, 325, 377. 



INDEX 



483 



Wonder of a Kingdom, The, 79, 
103, 104, 111, 226, 239, 266, 
267, 315, 338, 340, 373, 374, 
383. 

Wounds of Civil War, The, 74, 
109, 110, 132, 230. 

Yorkshire Tragedy, A, 41, 71, 
187, 264, 404. 



Young Admiral, The, 33, 44, 51, 
52, 54, 55, 69, 85, 93, 100, 101, 
102, 106, 109, 113, 134, 139, 
140, 147, note, 158, 178, 179, 
180, 181, 182, 183, 187, 190-99, 
202, 243, 244, 247, 248, 249, 
251, 252, 314, 315, 320, 335, 
360, 361, 377. 

Your Five Gallants, 77, 79, 133, 
236, 279, 316, 318, 363. 



VITA 

I, Robert Stanley Forsythe, was born near Lincoln, Illinois, 
October 6, 1886. In 1900 I entered the Preparatory School 
of Lincoln University (later Lincoln College), Lincoln, Illinois. 
I was admitted to Lincoln College in 1904 and was graduated in 
1908 with the degree of B.L. In the same year I entered Col- 
umbia University as a graduate student in English and Compara- 
tive Literature and in 1909 I received the degree of A.M. from 
that institution. During the years 1909-11, I was an instructor 
in rhetoric in the University of Kansas. I attended the Sum- 
mer Session of the University of Illinois in 1911. 'From 1911 
to 1914 I was a graduate student in English and Comparative 
Literature in Columbia University. I attended the Summer 
Session of the University of Wisconsin in 1912. In 1914 I 
was appointed to an instructorship in English in Adelbert Col- 
lege, Western Reserve University. 

In 1911 I was appointed University Scholar in English in 
Columbia University, and in 1912, University Fellow in Eng- 
lish. My work at Columbia was done under Professors A. H. 
Thorndike, G. R. Carpenter, Matthews, Trent, Fletcher, Krapp, 
Lawrence, and Ayres. My publications previous to the pres- 
ent book are: A Note on Herrick, Mod. Lang. Notes, XXV, 
200; An Indebtedness of Nero to the Third Part of King 
Henry VI, Mod. Lang. Notes, XXV, 211-12; A Note on Chap- 
man, Mod. Lang. Notes, XXVI, 95; Certain Sources of Sir John 
Oldcastle, Mod. Lang. Notes, XXVI, 110-111 ; Two Debts of Scott 
to Le Morte D Arthur, Mod. Lang. Notes, XXVII, 51-52; Shad- 
well's Contribution to She Stoops to Conquer and to The Tender 
Husband, Journ. of Eng. and Germ. Phil., XI, 104-111; Some 
Parallels to Passages in the First Part of Jeronymo, Mod. 
Lang. Notes, XXVII, 110-111; Modern Imitations of the Pop- 
ular Ballad, Journ. of Eng. and Germ. Phil., XIII, 88-97. 



LBAp'15 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Feb. 2009 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION 

111 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




014 156 015 3 



Ti 



■ 

■ 



■ 

■ 













;■■::•! BV 



